Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

National Guard activated for start of Washington legislative session

Capitol dome in Olympia in January 2020.
Parker Miles Blohm
/
KNKX
Capitol dome in Olympia in January 2020.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has activated up to 750 members of the National Guard to work with the Washington State Patrol to protect the Capitol campus as the state Legislature prepares to convene its 105-day legislative session Monday.

“As legislators begin their work on behalf of the people of the state of Washington, we must do whatever we can to ensure that they can do that work without fear, intimidation or harassment," Inslee said in a written statement Friday. “The actions we saw in both Washington, D.C., and Olympia earlier this week were completely unacceptable and will not be repeated in our state capital again.”

 

On Wednesday, a group of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the governor’s residence, which is next to the Capitol, including some who were armed and attacked or threatened journalists. That breach came hours after the siege of the nation’s Capitol building.

 

Inslee wrote that there will be areas for people to exercise their First Amendment rights on the Capitol Campus but that fencing and security personnel will restrict access to areas that are open only to legislators and staff.

The Associated Press (“AP”) is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. On any given day, more than half the world’s population sees news from the AP. Founded in 1846, the AP today is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering. The AP considers itself to be the backbone of the world’s information system, serving thousands of daily newspaper, radio, television, and online customers with coverage in text, photos, graphics, audio and video.