Newsman: In the aftermath of the protests on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, experts are warning that of Donald Trump-supporting activists are calling for more demonstrations ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has asked for additional security measures with ten days to go before Inauguration Day as Wednesday’s riot has set off a shockwave of concern among federal, state and local officials for more possible bloodshed over the outcome of the 2020 election that ousted President Donald Trump from office. In light of the week’s events, Bowser asked the Trump administration for an emergency declaration for DC and called on the Department of Homeland Security to extend their preparations. Intelligence suggesting further violence is likely during the Inaugural period, she wrote in a letter to Trump Sunday.
Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday (local time) extended the public emergency for 15 days following the mayhem and chaos created by pro-Trump supporters at the US Capitol. “I have issued an order extending the public emergency declared earlier today for a total of 15 days,” Bowser wrote on Twitter. “I will tell you that given the events of this last week that this inauguration preparation has to be different than any other inauguration,” Bowser said in an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
The Mayor asked DHS to extend the “National Special Security Event” period from January 11 to 24 in a letter to acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf — an extension of the original plan from January 19 to 21. Bowser also warned the Washingtonians to “stay out of the downtown area” and “not engage with demonstrators”.
“I am asking Washingtonians and those who live in the region to stay out of the downtown area on Tuesday and Wednesday and not to engage with demonstrators who come to our city seeking confrontation, and we will do what we must to ensure all who attend remain peaceful,” the Mayor’s tweet read.
PRO-Trump group has urged protesters to attend another march on the Capitol this week – and to “come armed at personal discretion.”On Saturday evening, a post was added to Parler, a social media site that has often proved to be a favorite of MAGA supporters. While the majority of Trump supports have condemned last week’s violence in Washington, some extremists are still trying to stir up trouble.
The post urged people to attend a proposed march on Capitol Hill and state capitol buildings on January 17. A posted is emblazoned with the phrase: “When democracy is destroyed, refuse to be silenced.”
It calls for an “armed march on Capitol Hill and all state Capitols.”
The poster, added by user Kenneth Brooks, finished by saying: “Don’t let their efforts be in vain. Demand freedom. End the corruption. Stand up for liberty.”The attack on the Capitol building on Wednesday led to the deaths of five people and was condemned by political leaders on both sides of the spectrum, including Vice President Mike Pence.
The chaos also led the creators of Facebook and Twitter to ban Trump from using their social media sites, claiming the president could use them to incite more violence.
However, the consequences seem to have done little to dissuade some extremists, as members are still taking to online communities to insist that the fight is not over.
Authhorities are preparing for additional personnel to help secure the nation’s capital in the coming days. A Department of Homeland Security official told CNN that the breach of the Capitol will sharpen the response and planning for inauguration.
“Now that it happened people will take it much more seriously,” the official said, referring to last week’s violence. “Now, the planners, they are all going to take it much more seriously.”
Rep. Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat, said in in a statement Sunday that the Department of Defense is aware of “further possible threats posed by would-be terrorists in the days up to and including Inauguration Day.” Crow spoke with Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy about the January 6 events and planning for the coming days.
At the Capitol Police’s request, DHS helped install fencing, which was seen going up around Capitol Hill Thursday.
At the Pentagon, officials are assessing whether there is a need to bolster the number of National Guard forces to as many as 13,000 guardsmen for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, according to a defense official with knowledge of the planning. Prior to the US Capitol breach, the estimated need called for approximately 7,000 guard troops.
More than 6,000 members have already been mobilized in the wake of the Capitol being stormed by pro-Trump rioters to work in 12-hour shifts on Capitol grounds and work traffic control points throughout the city.
At the state level, security officials have been working closely with federal partners as they prepare for increasing online chatter calling for protests in all 50 states, plus Washington, DC, said one state law enforcement official with direct knowledge of conversations between federal and state partners.
Plans for future armed protests, including a proposed secondary attack on the US Capitol and state capitol buildings on January 17, began proliferating on and off Twitter last week, the social media company said.
Still, extremism experts are fearful of what will happen on and around January 20 when Biden is sworn into office, given surging calls for violence as many extremists see the Capitol incursion as a success.
“Trump WILL be sworn in for a second term on January 20th!!,” said a commenter on thedonald.win, a pro-Trump online forum, on Thursday, the day after the siege. “We must not let the communists win. Even if we have to burn DC to the ground.”
The inauguration is designated as a National Special Security Event, which allows for greater federal security cooperation and law enforcement resources.
DHS’ second-in-command, Ken Cuccinelli, said that Wednesday’s violence would be a “one time event,” and assured Americans that Inauguration Day would be safe.
“You’re going to see immediate improvement, fully aggressive posture by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice as well, because we accept violence from no one,” he said in an interview on Fox News Thursday.
On Wednesday, the Capitol Police asked for additional law enforcement help from DHS, but by the time the request was made, “it was just too close to when everything began to heat up,” Cuccinelli said.
