Officials plan to reinstall Capitol fence before rally
WASHINGTON – Law enforcement officials concerned by the prospect for violence at a rally in the nation’s capital next week are planning to reinstall protective fencing that surrounded the U.S. Capitol for months after the Jan. 6 insurrection there, according to a person familiar with the discussions.
Though no specific measures have been announced, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hinted Wednesday at extra safety precautions for the Sept. 18 rally by saying: “We intend to have the integrity of the Capitol be intact.” Briefings for lawmakers, including congressional leaders, are expected in coming days.
A security plan that is being finalized calls for a fenced perimeter on the streets immediately surrounding the Capitol building and the Supreme Court, though not around the congressional office buildings nearby, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Police continue to track intelligence indicating far-right extremist groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are planning to attend next week’s rally, which is designed to demand “justice” for the hundreds of people who were charged in connection with January’s riot. Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, however, said he doesn’t expect his membership to attend. The potential presence of the extremist groups at next week’s event is concerning because, while members and associates of Oath Keepers and Proud Boys make up just a fraction of the nearly 600 people who have been charged so far in the riot, they are facing some of the most serious charges brought.
Those charges include allegations that they conspired to block the certification of Joe Biden’s victory. Several Oath Keepers have pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges and are cooperating with investigators in the case against their fellow extremists, who authorities say came to Washington ready for violence and willing to do
whatever it took to stop the certification of the Electoral College vote.
The fence had been a stark symbol of the fear many in the Capitol felt after the mob pushed its way past overwhelmed police officers, broke through windows and doors and ransacked the Capitol as Congress was voting to certify Biden’s electoral win.
The planned Sept. 18 rally comes as a jittery Washington has seen a series of troubling one-off incidents, including, most recently, a man who parked a pickup truck near the Library of Congress and said he had a bomb and detonator.
A series of unexploded pipe bombs were placed near the Capitol on Jan. 5 and remain unexplained. No suspect has been charged. The FBI released a new video of a suspect on Wednesday and a digital map showing the person circling the offices of the Democratic and Republican national committees, where the bombs were placed. The FBI also said that agents believe the suspect is not from the Washington, D.C., area but may have been “operating” out of a location near the Capitol.
Some lawmakers and top union officials were expected to be briefed on the fence plan this week and another more expansive briefing for the leaders of the House and Senate was planned for Monday.