Trump orders National Guard chief to leave in middle of inaugural ceremony

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Donald Trump has ordered that the chief of the Washington, D.C. National Guard step down in the middle of his inauguration, even though the chief will be in charge of security on that day.

Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz will leave his post at 12:01 p.m. on Inauguration Day, just after Trump is sworn in. That will mean he is removed from his post before the parade begins, however, and he will have to hand over command of the entire National Guard and an additional 5,000 troops to an interim commander.

“The timing is extremely unusual,” Schwartz told the Washington Post on Friday.

“My troops will be on the street,” he added. “I’ll see them off but I won’t be able to welcome them back to the armory.”

Schwartz said that he was not told why he was being ordered to step down at such an odd time.

“I’m a soldier,” he said. “I’m a presidential appointee, therefore the president has the power to remove me.”