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The Justice Department will have “no tolerance whatsoever” for any attempts to disrupt the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden next week, Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen warned Wednesday.
Rosen, in a video statement, described the storming of the U.S. Capitol one week ago as “an intolerable, shocking and tragic episode” in U.S. history. The FBI has warned that protests, some possibly violent, could spread across the nation starting as soon as Sunday.
Rosen vowed not to allow any repeat of the destruction next week.
“I want to send a clear message to anyone contemplating violence, threats of violence or other criminal conduct,” Rosen said. “We will have no tolerance whatsoever for any attempts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 20 that our Constitution calls for.”
Rosen added that federal, state and local law enforcement officials would turn back any attempts to forcefully occupy government buildings.
“There will be no excuse for violence, vandalism or any other lawlessness,” Rosen said. “We will spare no resources in protecting public safety in the coming days.”
‘Everyone is on high alert’: State Capitols prepare for potential armed protests
Fueled by President Donald Trump’s debunked claims of a “stolen” election, a mob had marched last Wednesday from the White House to the Capitol, where rioters occupied the building for hours in a bloody but ill-fated bid to halt lawmakers from confirming Biden’s election win. Five people died, including a police officer.
The riot was not enough to rile some members of Congress balking at a new requirement that they enter the Capitol through metal detectors. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Republican from Colorado, argued on twitter that she is legally permitted to carry her firearm within the Capitol complex.
“Metal detectors outside of the House would not have stopped the violence we saw last week,” she said, calling the metal detectors “just another political stunt” by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Virginia Democrat Don Beyer said he witnessed Rep. Nicholas Van Taylor, a Republican from Texas, refusing to pass through a metal detector and arguing with U.S. Capitol Police officers. Beyer tweeted that many children across the nation enter school through metal detectors “and they handle it more maturely than Members of Congress.”
“Do these people not understand that literally everyone else has to go through metal detectors to get in here?” Beyer tweeted. “Average people do not get to bring guns into the United States Capitol in normal times. Get over yourselves.”
The Pentagon’s senior military leadership on Tuesday branded the riot “sedition and insurrection” and warned troops to abide by their oaths to protect and defend the Constitution. The memo to all active duty and reserve troops was signed by Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, along with seven other senior leaders.
The Pentagon has been asked to review all members of the security detail for Biden’s inauguration Jan. 20 to ensure they are “not sympathetic to domestic terrorists,” Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., said.
Capitol Police along with a long list of law enforcement agencies ranging from police department in D.C. and its suburbs to the FBI and Pentagon say no such chaos will occur next week. And FBI reports that pro-Trump protests could develop in all 50 states has state law enforcement agencies on high alert as well.
DC, statehouses beef up security as possibility of violence looms
No state capital is drawing more attention than Michigan, where six men were indicted last month on charges of conspiring to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Attorney General Dana Nessel has warned that the State Capitol in Lansing is “not safe,” and a state commission banned the open carrying of weapons in the Capitol.
Still, open carry of firearms is still permitted just outside the Capitol doors, an issue relevant to any demonstrations on the Capitol grounds.
“This is something that we are monitoring closely and will ensure that the necessary security measures are in place,” said Tiffany Brown, a spokeswoman for Whitmer.
Security issues at forefront: Michigan House and Senate prepare to meet
Lansing Mayor Andy Schor asked Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to activate the Michigan National Guard, and on Tuesday the State Police stepped up its visibility in and around the Capitol.
A 6-foot-high chain link fence will go up around the Capitol on Friday, Michigan Capitol Commission Vice Chairman John Truscott said, describing the effort as similar to what was done in the mid-1990s when members of the Ku Klux Klan were demonstrating at the Capitol. The fence will be temporary, but it is not clear when it will come down, he said.
Florida law enforcement agencies on high alert amid state Capitol threats
Other states are also preparing In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has declined to join the bipartisan criticism of Trump over the Capitol riot, warned Tuesday that law enforcement reinforcements will be on hand at the state Capitol. He said he did not know about anything “specific” targeting at Tallahassee.
“If anything is disorderly, we’re going to act very quickly,” the governor said. “Don’t worry about that.”
Contributing: Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, Jeff Burlew, Tallahassee Democrat and Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press
2021-01-13 06:13:07
