Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) announced on June 5 that he was removing a member of the Ohio National Guard from Washington, D.C., due to the member allegedly expressing white supremacist views online.
DeWine tweeted that the FBI had discovered the guardsman “expressed white supremacist ideology on the internet prior to the assignment.” The Ohio governor noted that while he acknowledges the right to freedom of speech, a member of the National Guard is supposed to protect everyone “regardless of race, ethnic background, or religion. Our Ohio National Guard members are in a position of trust and authority during times of crisis, and anyone who displays malice toward specific groups of Americans has no place in the @OHNationalGuard.”
He added that the guardsman at hand most likely “will be permanently removed from the Ohio National Guard. I have directed General [John] Harris to work with Public Safety Director Thomas Stickrath to set up a procedure so occurrences like this do not happen in the future.”
I want to take a moment to address a situation regarding a member of the @OHNationalGuard, who was removed from the mission in Washington, DC, after the FBI uncovered information that this Guardsman expressed white supremacist ideology on the internet prior to the assignment.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) June 5, 2020
While I fully support everyone's right to free speech, Guardsmen and women are sworn to protect all of us, regardless of race, ethnic background, or religion.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) June 5, 2020
Our Ohio National Guard members are in a position of trust and authority during times of crisis, and anyone who displays malice toward specific groups of Americans has no place in the @OHNationalGuard.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) June 5, 2020
The Ohio National Guard and our Ohio Department of Public Safety are fully cooperating with the FBI in its investigation, and this individual is suspended from all missions at this time.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) June 5, 2020
Following due process, it is highly likely that this individual will be permanently removed from the @OHNationalGuard. I have directed General Harris to work with Public Safety Director Tom Stickrath to set up a procedure so occurrences like this do not happen in the future.
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) June 5, 2020
Hundreds of members from the National Guard in various states had been sent to Washington, D.C., to deal with civil unrest at some of the demonstrations protesting the May 25 death of African-American George Floyd, 46, while in police custody. According to The Washington Post, Department of Defense Secretary Mark Esper told governors in a June 1 conference call, “I think the sooner that you mass and dominate the battlespace, the quicker this dissipates and we can get back to the right normal. We need to dominate the battlespace.”
The governors of Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia declined the White House’s request to send in the states’ guardsmen. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told the Post that while it’s necessary to protect national monuments, “we don’t want the armed National Guard, armed military, and we don’t want any of those things on D.C. streets.”
