Washington DC‘s mayor has said she and her team are ‘extremely concerned’ about security for Joe Biden‘s inauguration, following the deadly violence on Wednesday when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol.
Muriel Bowser wrote to Chad Wolf, the acting Homeland Security Secretary, to express her concerns as Biden’s team intends to continue with his swearing-in on the steps of the Capitol, as planned.
‘We are confident in our security partners who have spent months planning and preparing for the inauguration, and we are continuing to work with them to ensure the utmost safety and security of the president-elect,’ said a senior Biden inauguration official last week.
‘This will mark a new day for the American people focused on healing our nation, bringing our country together and building it back better.’
Muriel Bowser, the mayor of DC, has written to the DHS to express her concerns about Jan 20
Joe Biden, pictured on Sunday, is said to want to continue as planned with his inauguration
A seven-foot-high fence has now been erected around the U.S. Capitol
The fence is designed to prevent a repeat of Wednesday’s violence and destruction
The fence around the Capitol is designed to be ‘unscalable’ and prevent another riot
Scenes of insurrectionists scaling the walls of the Capitol were beamed around the world
A mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Wednesday, sparking shock and horror
Plans could change in the 10 days until his January 20 inauguration, but Biden is thought to want to continue with the ceremony as planned.
Donald Trump on Saturday said he would not attend, becoming the first president since 1869 to skip his successor’s swearing in. Mike Pence, the vice president, will be there.
Bowser’s letter, sent on Saturday, said that the inauguration ‘will require a very different approach to previous inaugurations given the chaos, injury and death experienced at the US Capitol during the insurrection.’
Bowser asked Wolf for the Department of Homeland Security to extend the National Security Special Event beyond its planned three-day designation.
She wants the phase – and the additional security it brings – to run from January 11-24, rather than January 19-21, as planned.
Bowser is also requesting a pre-disaster declaration under the Stafford Act for the Inauguration.
Furthermore, she wanted the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate with other departments, including the Justice Department.
A seven foot fence has now gone up around the Capitol, which is designed to be impossible to scale.
Images of Trump supporters clambering up the walls of the Capitol – supposedly one of the most secure buildings in the United States – and smashing their way in with little resistance shocked the world on Wednesday.
The mob overran the Capitol Police shortly after Trump urged them to ‘fight’ on his behalf
The mostly maskless crowd flooded the halls of the Capitol with little resistance from police
Trump supporters, egged on by the president himself, stormed the Capitol on Wednesday
QAnon fanatics, Proud Boys, and white supremacists all participated in the rampage
Prosecutors say these charges are just the beginning. Authorities said Friday that additional cases remained under seal and dozens of other people were being sought by federal agents
Chuck Schumer, the Senate Minority Leader, echoed Bowser’s concerns in a statement following his conversation with FBI Director Christopher Wray on Saturday.
‘The threat of violent extremist groups remains high and the next few weeks are critical in our democratic process with the upcoming inauguration at the U.S. Capitol to swear in President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris,’ Schumer said.
‘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.’
Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund announced his resignation on Thursday, a day after protesters breached the Capitol.
The Sergeants-at-Arms of both the House and Senate also resigned, at the request of Mitch McConnell and Nancy Pelosi.
Wednesday’s violence cost the lives of six people: one Capitol Police officer killed in the chaos, another who committed suicide days after being on duty, and four rioters. One of the four, a woman from California, Ashli Babbitt, was shot dead by Capitol Police while attempting to swarm into private rooms.
It forced Congress to halt its joint session, certifying the vote to elect Biden. Members of Congress were hastily ushered into a secure location, while their staff cowered behind desks in the offices and barricaded themselves in as the mob rampaged through the halls.
At least 25 people are facing domestic terrorism charges. More than 80 people have been arrested so far.