Law enforcement and military taking ‘unprecedented’ approach to security in D.C.
Thousands of police and military troops continued pouring into the nation’s capital Wednesday, transforming the city into an armed fortress in an extraordinary show of force aimed at heading off more mob violence ahead of next week’s inauguration ceremony.
Officials involved in the security preparations said they had never been so concerned about violence in Washington, including in the days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
At the U.S. Capitol, where President-elect Joe Biden is scheduled to be sworn in
Jan. 20, hundreds of armed National Guard troops joined police behind new 8-foot fencing and checkpoints walling off the grounds. So many Guard members were dispatched to Washington, and so quickly, they were left to sleep on the domed building’s marble floors, a scene reminiscent of the Civil War.
At the White House, the vice president’s residence and other federal buildings and monuments, authorities took similar action— setting up checkpoints, closing streets and conducting aerial surveillance. Pentagon officials said that as many as 20,000 National Guard troops mobilized from multiple states could arrive in the area before the inauguration.
The flurry of activity highlighted how flat-footed Capitol Police and other officials were on Jan. 6 when proTrump extremists stormed the Capitol seeking to halt the counting of electoral votes marking Biden’s election victory. Authorities are concerned about Biden’s inauguration but also feared extremists might attempt to disrupt Wednesday’s impeachment proceedings. In a bipartisan 232-197 vote, the House voted to impeach Trump for inciting the mob, making him the first president in U.S. history to be so sanctioned twice. No security issues were reported.
“This is unprecedented,” said Charles H. Ramsey, who helped oversee security for two inaugurations as Washington’s police chief from 1998 to 2006. “We have had security challenges before, but nothing on this
scale, because we actually had the Capitol breached.”
The Secret Service, which coordinates security for the inauguration, took command of the preparations Wednesday, more than week ahead of schedule. The FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies were investigating thousands of leads and intelligence reports about threats to disrupt the ceremony or riot in the streets, officials said.
National Guard troops deployed at the Capitol and on the streets of Washington were authorized to carry firearms late Tuesday, a break with tradition that reflected the heightening security concerns, a senior defense official said.
That change “was requested by federal authorities,” the National Guard said in a statement, adding that “the public’s safety is our top priority.”
President Donald Trump, who last week help incite the mob at a White House rally that later took over the
U.S. Capitol, urged restraint in a written statement released by the White House on Wednesday.
“In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind,” said Trump, who has frequently undermined his own calls for nonviolence with inflammatory public statements later. “That is not what I stand for and it is not what America stands for.
“I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers.”
In a new video released Wednesday by the White House after the impeachment vote, Trump denounced the mob attack on the Capitol and said he had authorized “all necessary resources to maintain order” and to “ensure that a transition can occur safely and without incident.”
The violent mob marched from the White House to the Capitol on
Jan. 6, occupying the building for hours to try to stop lawmakers from cementing Biden’s win. Five people died, including a Capitol Police officer. Two explosive devices were found— outside the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters — but they did not explode.
Several officials and lawmakers said the extensive protective measures made it highly unlikely that rioters could repeat the successful breach the nowheavily defended perimeter at the Capitol or threaten the safety of Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris or other officials.
“Based on the intelligence briefing that we had, I think there are a number of extreme groups who are intending to try to come to Washington on the 20th and stop the inauguration, but they won’t be able to,” said Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo.
Washington was not the only capital that was augmenting security in coming days. Many states were also boosting police presence at capitol buildings ahead of an election protest planned Sunday by Trump supporters.
In Michigan, a state commission banned the open carrying of firearms at the statehouse, which was overrun by militia members during a protest last year. Other states, including Arizona and Georgia, erected barriers around statehouses, while others including Texas assigned state police and National Guard troops to protect them.