Washington
US President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump on her last day in office reflected her time as an adviser to her father, saying that the “last four years have been an incredible journey”.
“It had been the honour of a lifetime to serve our nation as an advisor to the president,” said Ivanka in an Instagram post. She added that she was “proud” of what the outgoing administration had accomplished and is excited about the future.
“I came to Washington to fight for American families and I leave feeling I’ve done that,” said Ivanka.
The first daughter said she believes that “America can move forward in a positive way” by acknowledging the “differences” and finding “common ground”. She added that this is how America will remain the greatest nation.
“The last four years have been an incredible journey. In travelling to nearly every American state and dozens of countries, I fell even more deeply in love with the American people,” said Ivanka, as she thanked everyone for the “love and support”.
“I leave DC in awe of the compassion grace and grit that exists across this nation. These great and strong people have reinforced my abiding faith in America,” said the first daughter.
Ivanka also prayed that God gives “wisdom, courage and strength to President-elect Joseph R Biden, Dr Jill Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala D Harris, Doughlas Emhoff and all of the leaders, judges, officers and officials who devote themselves to service of the public”.
“As Americans we must all pray for their success,” said Ivanka. Moreover, Pentagon officials on Tuesday said that a dozen members of the US National Guard have been removed ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inaugural ceremony after tight scrutiny, which included screening for potential ties to right-wing extremism.
A Pentagon spokesperson said the vetting went beyond ties to extremist groups. One Guard member was removed from duty after troubling text messages and another had been reported to a tip line, Army General Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, told reporters.
Read more: FBI screens troops ahead of Biden’s inauguration to ensure top security “We are, out of an abundance of caution, taking action and immediately removing them from the line of duty at the Capitol and the events taking place,” said Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman.
On Sunday, acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller said the FBI was assisting the US military in vetting more than 25,000 National Guard troops being deployed to assist in protecting the US Capitol for potential security concerns ahead of Wednesday’s inauguration of Biden.
Read more: Trump’s last day: Ivanka gets emotional on leaving White House The vetting has been going on since last week, and the FBI is also working to see if any current service members took part in the January 6 riot at the US Capitol by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump.
Last week, the Virginia National Guard said that Jacob Fracker, an off-duty police officer charged in connection with the violent riots at the Capitol, was a corporal in the state’s Guard and serves as an infantryman.—AFP
