Pentagon Says Up to 800 National Guard Heading to Washington

(Bloomberg) -- The Pentagon said 600 to 800 National Guard troops are being sent to Washington as President Donald Trump seeks to quell another night of protests in the U.S. capital.

Security forces fired tear gas to force peaceful demonstrators away from the White House on Monday just before Trump gave brief remarks in the Rose Garden.

“I am dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers,” Trump said in his remarks without elaboration.

Pentagon officials said an active-duty unit from outside the Washington region has been moved into the area and put on heightened alert but wasn't immediately deployed into the capital city.

Protests that turned violent across the nation over the weekend appeared to infuriate Trump, who earlier on Monday berated governors for not cracking down harder to stop rioting and looting that has overshadowed peaceful demonstrations after the death of a black man in police custody in Minnesota.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Attorney General William Barr and other top officials planned to monitor the continuing protests in Washington at the Justice Department on Monday evening, according to a senior defense official who asked not to be identified.

Pentagon officials said the primary role of the new National Guard forces would be to defend national monuments, protect the White House and coordinate with Washington's police.

The additional National Guard forces were coming from Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Utah, according to the official.

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