An Ohio National Guardsman sent to Washington, D.C., to respond to protests has been removed from his post for allegedly expressing white supremacist views online.
GOP Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced the removal during a Friday news conference and said the FBI is investigating allegations. The man, who has not yet been named pending the investigation, allegedly made the racist posts online prior to being part of the 100 guardsmen deployed to the district from Ohio.
“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,” DeWine said Friday, according to the Toledo Blade. “Our Ohio National Guard members are in a position of trust and authority during times of crisis, and anyone who displays a malice toward specific groups of Americans has no place in the Ohio National Guard.”
The guardsman, who has been with the group for more than two years, was from Company C, 1st Battalion, 148th Infantry Regiment in Tiffin, the Ohio National Guard announced.
“If true, these are egregious allegations,” the Ohio National Guard said in a statement. “The Ohio National Guard is a diverse and inclusive organization of nearly 17,000 men and women. Racism and prejudice has no place in our organization.”
The organization was sent to Washington after protests spread from Minnesota across the country following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody and was filmed begging for his life as an officer pinned him to the ground for nearly nine minutes.
