Trump plans to fire the head of the D.C. National Guard in the middle of the inauguration

The head of the Washington, D.C., National Guard will be fired effective the same moment Donald Trump is sworn in as president, on Jan. 20 at 12:01 p.m, Talking Points Memo reports. The thousands of National Guard troops overseeing inauguration festivities will effectively lose their commander midday: "My troops will be on the street," Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz told The Washington Post. "I'll see them off but I won't be able to welcome them back to the armory."
Schwartz, 65, said he did not know why he was being dismissed. Unlike other states, the National Guard chief in D.C. is appointed and dismissed by the president directly. "The timing is extremely unusual," Schwartz said, adding that he would "never plan to leave a mission in the middle of a battle." While bizarre, the decision might not be a total surprise; the president-elect previously ordered that all of President Barack Obama's ambassadors leave their posts by Inauguration Day.
Schwartz has spent months planning for the inauguration, and has been a member of the military since 1976.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Trump DOJ said to pay $5M to family of Jan. 6 rioter
speed read The US will pay a hefty sum to the family of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot on January 6
-
Trump DOJ charging House Democrat in ICE fracas
speed read Rep. LaMonica McIver is being charged with assault over a clash outside an immigration detention facility in Newark
-
Biden diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer
speed read The diagnosis hits close to home, as the former president 'dedicated much of his later career to cancer research'
-
Supreme Court weighs court limits amid birthright ban
speed read President Trump's bid to abolish birthright citizenship has sparked questions among federal judges about blocking administration policies
-
Gabbard fires intelligence chiefs after Venezuela report
speed read Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has fired the top two officials leading the National Intelligence Council
-
Trump vows to lift Syria sanctions
speed read The move would help the new government stabilize the country following years of civil war
-
Senate rejects Trump's Library of Congress takeover
speed read Congress resisted the president's attempts to control 'the legislative branch's premier research body'
-
Hamas frees US hostage in deal sidelining Israel
speed read Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old soldier, was the final living US citizen held by the militant group