DC police brace for pro-Trump rallies
Thousands are expected as Congress meets to certify Electoral College
WASHINGTON – A city accustomed to mass protests is gearing up for especially intense ones over what should be the most mundane of political events: the counting of Electoral College votes during a special joint session of Congress.
At the urging of President Donald Trump, however, die-hard supporters are planning to descend on the nation’s capital on Wednesday to pressure Republican lawmakers into aligning themselves with a long-shot effort to overturn Joe Biden’s electoral victory.
Knife fights, shouting matches and verbal harassment of Trump opponents accompanied previous demonstrations following Biden’s election victory in November. Now federal and local law enforcement are bracing for what might be the most intense Trump protest yet as Congress is poised to formally declare Biden president-elect.
Various Trump groups are promoting the demonstrations online. One called “#StopTheSteal” operates the website “WildProtest.com,” which proclaims that “PRESIDENT TRUMP WANTS YOU IN DC JANUARY 6.”
“Be there, will be wild,” one flier read. The event has been co-signed by incoming members of Congress Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
The National Park Service has received three permit applications for protests to be scheduled around the electoral vote count.
Women for America First, a conservative women’s group which helped organize November’s “Million MAGA March,” requested a permit for a protest of about 5,000 in Freedom Plaza.
A group called the Eighty Percent Coalition also requested a permit for 10,000 protestors in the same area. The group, whose name is a reference to the approximately 80% of Trump voters who do not believe Biden won the election fairly, have titled their event the “Rally to Save America.”
Another smaller protest titled “The Silent Majority” is organized by South Carolina conservative activist James Epley. It will lead several hundred protestors in a march from the National Mall to the Capitol.
The United States Park Police confirmed that the permits had been approved but not yet issued. It did not comment on specific security measures it will take to keep the peace.
“The Park Police is committed to working with its partners to protect the public and National Park Service resources by ensuring that safety protocols are in place for permitted events and other First Amendment activities,” the agency said in a statement.
On the social media app Parler and far-right message boards, members of the group “Proud Boys” have discussed organizing in Washington, and a leader of the group Enrique Tarrio suggested they will be incognito.
“The Proud Boys will turn out in record numbers on Jan 6th but this time with a twist,” Tarrio said on Parler.
“We will not be wearing our traditional Black and Yellow. We will be incognito and we will spread across downtown DC in smaller teams,” he wrote.
Tarrio also posited that the group might dress in all-black gear at night, a style similar to the black bloc clothing tactic used by Antifa groups who often fight the Proud Boys.
Other groups are planning to demonstrate at the Capitol as the House and Senate count Electoral College votes.
At least 140 sitting and incoming members of the House of Representatives were expected to challenge Congress’ official count of the vote.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said Wednesday he will contest the election results, ensuring that Congress will be forced to debate the issue when lawmakers convene for the joint session.
It could all add up to a political circus on Wednesday, from the House and Senate chambers to the streets of the city.
Although local and federal law enforcement agencies did not detail their security strategies, they said they will be prepared as they have been for previous protests.
Many restaurants and office buildings in downtown Washington, D.C., are already boarded up, just as they were for demonstrations in the summer regarding racial justice and, more recently, the presidential election.
Washington is also in the midst of COVID-19 restrictions, including a ban on indoor eating at restaurants.
Trump, who Thursday cut short his end-of-the-year trip to South Florida and returned to the White House, has promoted the protests by his backers.
“JANUARY SIXTH, SEE YOU IN DC!” Trump tweeted on Wednesday, a theme he echoed throughout the holidays.
Trump has not said whether he plans to attend any of the rallies.
On Nov. 14, en route to a political rally for Georgia Senate races, Trump’s motorcade passed thousands of supporters rallying in Freedom Plaza, a public square about two blocks east of the White House.
Four weeks later, departing the White House for the Army-Navy game in upstate New York, Trump had the Marine One helicopter fly over cheering supporters on the National Mall.
Those Dec. 12 rallies came two days before members of the Electoral College gathered in 50 state capitals to cast their votes based on the results of the popular votes in their states. Biden, who gathered over 7 million more votes than Trump in the popular vote, prevailed with 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232.
Normally, Congress’ task of recording the electoral votes and formally declaring a winner in the Electoral College is a formality. This year, the pro-Trump congressional factions have vowed to challenge the electoral votes in certain swing states that went for Biden.
That will trigger debates in both the House and Senate, though the outcome is not in doubt. Democrats control the House and were expected to confirm Biden’s votes; meanwhile, enough Republican senators have said they oppose the protests and will not support dismissing Biden’s electoral votes.
In pressuring Congress, Trump and his backers have voiced the same unfounded claims they made in previous lawsuits and state election complaints. A variety of judges and state election officials, including Republicans, dismissed those claims and proclaimed the elections in their states to be free and fair.