FBI vetting Guard members for the inauguration may prove to be a waste of time [Opinion]

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) s now vetting your National Guard. That’s right, The 20,000 Guard troops on Capitol Hill are being vetted for ties to extremist groups. Our all-volunteer National Guard, known as Citizen Soldiers, are deployed to support the inauguration in Washington and some Governors have also ordered the Guard to protect state capitals.

We do not know if law enforcement or other participants are also being vetted. We do not have a definition of exactly what extremists groups the FBI is worried about.

Here are the names of a few domestic terrorist organizations within our country. Some will surprise you: The Jewish Defense League, Earth Defense League, May 19 Communist Organization, The Order, The KKK, Weathermen, Symbionese Liberation Army, Animal Liberation Front, United Freedom Front, Army of God, Alpha 66 and Omega 7, Aryan Nations, Students For A Democratic Society, Phineas Priesthood, and al-Qaeda. This is a partial list of organizations known by the FBI.

Another category that the FBI details is The Lone Wolf Terrorism classification.  Most of these are comprised of Islamic Fundamentalist and White Supremacy groups. Lone Wolf types have been identified to have 6 common traits by former FBI agents. The Oklahoma City Bombing was a domestic terror incident that holds the distinction of being the most destructive in our history.

Some 10,000 domestic terror-oriented internet sites are U.S. based and supported. This is an alarming number. However the USA is a nation of 340 million and our FBI’s current director reported in his congressional testimony that his agents arrested 100 domestic terrorists since 2018. We need more monitoring, arrests, and trials for these individuals.

Islamic Extremists in the USA is another classification of domestic terror according to the FBI and CIA. The  9-11 2001, Fort Hood attacks and the Boston Marathon Bombing are just three examples, in a long list of Islamic Extremist attacks cataloged and listed by law enforcement.

Our National Guard is vetted. Every member is reviewed and investigated by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. Most of your federal employees, defense contractors, and our Active Duty service members and reservists are amongst the 4 million-plus Americans who have a security clearance background check done annually.

A top-secret investigation takes almost 150 days to complete and a Secret Security Clearance is approximately 90 days. Some 50,000 investigations requests are received each week. Having held a clearance for many years I can vouch for its thoroughness.

While vetting by the FBI can’t hurt, how can it be as exhaustive as the Top Secret or Secret Security Ratings held by our National Guard and military?

Local law enforcement does not have, with exceptions for those assigned to counterterrorism tasks forces, a DoD level top secret or secret clearance. However, law local and state law enforcement does have an exhaustive background check upon initial employment.

America’s military has been under the control of civilian authorities since its early beginnings. Our  current military personnel are the best vetted force in our nation’s history.

Vetting the Guard members for the inauguration may prove to be a waste of time and precious resources. However, if such a vetting determines any member is a member or a domestic terror group the vetting will be of great service.

America’s military members must not be members of any domestic or international terror groups or have any ties to either category.

If a military member belongs to or subscribes to any of the domestic terror propaganda they should be tried under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, discharged and if applicable be tried of any crimes committed in a court of law.

Americans can trust our National Guard citizen soldiers and airman to do their duty and continue to serve with honor and distinction. The same can be said of our active duty and reserve military members.

These men and women will lay down their lives to support and defend our Constitution and freedom.

Editor’s note: The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Uken Report.

 

Image Sources

  • National Guard guards U.S. Capitol: Shutterstock