Siege raises concerns for inauguration
WASHINGTON – The insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is intensifying scrutiny over security at the upcoming inauguration ceremony for Presidentelect Joe Biden, which already has been reshaped by the pandemic and President Donald Trump’s decision not to attend.
Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris were to take the oath of office at the Capitol’s West Front, one of the locations where a mob overpowered police and stormed the building. They also scaled and occupied the scaffolding and bleachers in place for the ceremonies.
Plans for the Jan. 20 inauguration already were scaled back because of the coronavirus. But the brazen attack raises new questions about preparedness for the event that welcomes the new administration after a bitter election.
The congressional leaders responsible for coordinating the inauguration insisted Thursday night that events will move forward.
“The outrageous attack on the Capitol, however, will not stop us from affirming to Americans – and the world – that our democracy endures,” said Sens. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota.
Security forces have already begun taking extra precautions in the wake of Wednesday’s mayhem.
Roughly 6,200 members of the National Guard from six states will support the Capitol Police and other law enforcement in Washington for the next 30 days.
Crews also erected on the Capitol grounds tall, black metal fences designed to be impossible to climb. Similar structures have previously been used around the White House and in other cities that faced prolonged demonstrations.
Authorities will have the same military and civilian footprint to handle a crowd of more than a million people for an event expected to draw a small fraction of that because of restrictions to combat the coronavirus, according to a person familiar with the security planning.
Those who have worked on previous inaugurations said that while this year’s events will look different, the tradition of passing power from one administration to another will continue.
Trump tweeted Friday that he won’t attend his successor’s inauguration. The outgoing president has skipped the incoming president’s swearing-in only three times in U.S. history, and the last one to do so was Andrew Johnson 152 years ago. Trump only acknowledged the upcoming transfer of power after the Capitol was stormed.
Vice President Mike Pence was expected to attend the ceremony, but Pence spokesman Devin Malley said Friday that Pence has yet to make a decision.
Former President Jimmy Carter has announced he wouldn’t be there, the first inauguration the 96-year-old will miss since he himself was sworn into office in 1977. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will be on hand.
Inauguration organizers had already urged supporters not to come to Washington because of the pandemic. Viewing stands built to hold crowds of onlookers in front of the White House were recently dismantled.
There also won’t be the traditional inauguration luncheon and the parade will be virtual, similar to what the Democratic Party did during its all-online convention in August.
The inaugural committee has announced that Biden would receive an official escort, with representatives from every military branch, for a block before arriving at the White House from the Capitol.
Whatever happens, it’ll be a far cry from former President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration, when organizers opened the full length of the National Mall – which extends all the way to the Lincoln Memorial – to accommodate the massive crowds. Security was a concern then, too, though.