Be prepared for more violence, Chuck says

Law enforcement officials should prepare for more violence from right-wing extremists in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) warned on Sunday.

Schumer (inset) said in a statement that he spoke with FBI Director Christopher Wray on Saturday and urged him to do more to crack down on groups that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday in a riot incited by President Trump.

“The threat of violent extremist groups remains high, and the next few weeks are critical in our democratic process with the upcoming inaug u ration at the U.S. Capitol to swear in President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris,” said Schumer.

“Given that the same incendiary, dangerous rhetoric online that occurred before Jan. 6, which proved to be a warning of the insurrectionist attack, has only escalated since, I impressed upon Director Wray the vitalness of the FBI to work with other federal and state agencies to remain highly proactive and extremely vigilant to defend our democracy.”

Five people were killed in the riot at the Capitol, including U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was pepper-sprayed and bludgeoned with a fire extinguisher. His injuries caused a fatal clot to form in his brain.

The mob was filled with supporters of the online conspiracy group QAnon and members of the Proud Boys, a white nationalist group. The FBI over the last two years has identified each of the groups as threats to national security.

The agency wrote in a 2019 document that online conspiraacy theories llike QAnon — wwhich claims high-ranking ggovernment officcials run a secret cchild trafficking oo r g a n i z a t i o n — would drive “groups and iindividual exttremists to carry oout criminal or vviolent acts.”

Schumer will bbecome thee Senate majority leader oncee two new senators from Georgiaa are sworn in later this month. He’s joined other Democrats inn calling for a swift impeachmentt for Trump in the aftermathh of Wednesday’s attack on thee Capitol, which was incited byy the president and sought too keep Congress from certifyingg Biden’s election win.

Schumer said he urged Wrayy to “relentlessly pursue” the in-surrectionists who participatedd in Wednesday’s riot. He fearedd extremists would attempt too disrupt or commit violence att Biden’s inauguration, whichh Trump said he will not attend.