D.C. Prepares for More Pro-Trump Extremists and Inauguration Day

Exactly two weeks after the insurrection, President-elect Joe Biden will take the oath of office on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. A key Congressional committee says the swearing-in ceremony will take place as scheduled, on Jan. 20, and at its traditional location, the west front of the Capitol. “We are confident in our security partners who have spent months planning and preparing for the inauguration,” a senior Biden inauguration official tells the Post.

Right-wing extremists, emboldened by Donald Trump, who falsely contests the election results, say they’ll return to D.C. for the inauguration. “Round 2 on January 20th. This time no mercy. I don’t even care about keeping Trump in power. I care about war,” says someone on the platform TheDonald.win. They called Wednesday’s insurrectionists, who are responsible for six deaths, “heroes.”

District officials are preparing for their return. In a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Mayor Muriel Bowser requested that the inauguration be declared a pre-emergency disaster under the Stafford Act, which will enhance and expedite federal resources. She also asked the feds to cancel and deny permits for all demonstrations between Jan. 11 and Jan. 24. The inauguration is considered to be a National Special Security Event, which enables officials to create a security perimeter around the Capitol. Bowser requested that the perimeter and dates of the event be extended from Jan. 19 through 21 to Jan. 11 through 24.

At a Monday morning press conference, Bowser asked people not to visit the District but to participate in inauguration events virtually. She stopped short of saying the inauguration should be closed to the public. She says her priority is to protect the city from another attack. She’s requested daily intelligence and threat briefings from the Federal Bureau of Investigation beginning Monday. Residents are being advised to text “INAUG2021” to 888-777 to get public safety and transportation updates specific to the inauguration.

Read more: https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/505571/d-c-prepares-for-more-pro-trump-extremists-and-inauguration-day/