Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Siege watch at the Capitol
Theorists point to today, nation’s former inaugural date
WASHINGTON — Capitol Police say they have uncovered intelligence of a “possible plot” by a militia group to breach the U.S. Capitol today, nearly two months after a mob of supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the building to try to stop Congress from certifying now-President Joe Biden’s victory.
The threat appears to be connected to a far-right conspiracy theory, mainly promoted by supporters of QAnon, that Trump will rise again to power on March 4. That was the original presidential inauguration day until 1933, when it was moved to Jan. 20.
Online chatter identified by authorities included discussions among members of the Three Percenters, an anti-government militia group, con- cerning possible plots against the Capitol today, according to two law enforcement officials who were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Members of the Three Percenters were among the extremists who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“The United States Capitol Police Department is aware of and prepared for any potential threats towards members of Congress or towards the Cap- itol complex,” the agency said in a statement. “We have obtained intelligence that shows a possible plot to breach the Capitol by an identified militia group on Thursday, March 4.” Police did not identify the militia group in the statement.
The U.S. House abruptly wrapped its work for the week Wednesday night given the threat of violence.
An earlier advisory to lawmakers was updated Wednesday morning. Acting House Sergeant-at-Arms Timothy Blodgett wrote that the Capitol Police had received “new and concerning information and intelligence indicating additional interest in the Capitol for the dates of March 4th-6th by a militia group.”
In her testimony to the House panel, acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said her investigators had collected “some concerning intelligence,” but did not release any details.
The advisory comes as the Defense Department says it took more than three hours to dispatch the National Guard to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol after a request for reinforcement from police, according to testimony Wednesday before a Senate committee.
Maj. Gen. William Walker, commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard, told senators that the then-chief of the Capitol Police requested military support in a “voice cracking with emotion” in a 1:49 p.m. call as rioters began pushing toward the Capitol. Walker said he immediately relayed the request to the Army but did not learn until 5:08 p.m. that the Defense Department had approved it. Guard troops who had been waiting on buses were then rushed to the Capitol, arriving in 18 minutes, Walker said.
The hourslong delay cost the National Guard precious minutes in the early hours of the rioting, with Walker saying he could have gotten personnel into the building within 20 minutes of getting approval. As it stood, the support did not happen until the evening. The delay also stood in contrast to the swift authorization for National Guard support that Walker said was granted in response to the civil unrest that roiled Washington last June as an outgrowth of racial justice protests.
A senior Pentagon official who testified, Robert Salesses, said it took time for the Army to sort out what the National Guard was being asked to do and what its support might look like, especially since the Capitol Police days earlier had not asked for any help. Mindful of criticism that the response to the demonstrations last spring was heavy-handed, military officials were also concerned about the optics of a substantial National Guard presence at the Capitol, and that such visuals could inflame the rioters, Walker said.