Domestic extremists pose the most likely threat to tenure, especially those who believe the new government is illegitimate, according to a joint bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI and eight other agencies, obtained by CNN.
The assessment, dated Jan. 14, provides an analysis of the additional concerns that have led to Tuesday, including possible violence.
“In light of the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol, the events planned in Washington, DC, the day before and the day of inauguration, offer ongoing opportunities for violence against public officials, government buildings and local and federal officials. “is written.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said on Thursday that officials are “tracking calls for possible armed protests and activities leading to possession” and “monitoring all leads received”.
‘Chatter’ around Sunday
“It will happen on Monday according to the current schedule. The Secret Service is in charge of managing that schedule, but this is done in partnership with the Biden team. And it was their decision to postpone it one day,” said the Undersecretary of Security Acting intern Ken Cuccinelli told CNN’s “New Day”.
“The decision was made to delay one day and leave the Secret Service in one position, and the entire team across the Washington metro area, to be prepared to respond that day if necessary,” he said.
Biden said “yes” when asked if he felt safe about Induction Day, based on the intelligence he saw, when leaving a speech broadcast on television to the country on Friday afternoon.
Washington police said they were receiving daily FBI briefings on the Internet about possible protests over the inauguration.
“I can assure residents of the District of Columbia that the Metropolitan Police Department and federal partners are in a position to respond to the information we’ve heard so far,” said Metropolitan Police Department acting chief Robert Contee.
MPD is coordinating with the FBI and informing DC Mayor Mayor Muriel Bowser on a daily basis about all threats, Contee said.
DC Mayor says to stay home
Bowser said he did not expect the continued presence of National Guard troops visiting after the inauguration, but the city will have to take a “new stance”.
She again urged Americans to take advantage of the house opening and asked those who do not need to leave to avoid restricted areas.
The National Mall will be closed to the general public on opening day, the National Park Service (NPS) announced on Friday.
The temporary closure started on Friday morning and will run until at least Thursday, January 21st. The NPS says that protests will be allowed in designated places and will be limited to those with permission.
Lawmakers are asking travel agencies to help them avoid an attack and investigate the January 6 uprising.
The House Oversight Committee sent letters on Thursday to more than two dozen bus line operators, car rental companies and hotels asking for help “identifying and preventing the continuing and extreme threat of further violent attacks in Washington, DC, and elsewhere, in the coming days. “
The letter asks companies to increase the security and screening of guests and to keep business records available for future investigations, as well as provide Congress with records of any policies “currently in force or under development to ensure that their services are not used to facilitate domestic violence or terrorism. ”
One of the companies sent the letter, Megabus, said Friday on Facebook that it was canceling the service to Washington until after the inauguration.
Facebook said Friday night that it would prevent repeat violators of its policies from broadcasting live videos or creating events, groups or pages during Induction Day.
In addition, Facebook is banning the creation of new event pages geographically linked to Washington and state capitals, the company announced in a blog.
The move aims to “further prevent people from trying to use our services to incite violence,” said Facebook.
‘Each state’ supporting the inauguration with guards
The Pentagon authorized up to 25,000 members of the National Guard for the inauguration, the National Guard Office said in a press release on Friday. This is an increase from the 21,000 troops authorized the day before.
“Each state, territory and district of Columbia will have National Guard men and women supporting the inauguration,” the statement said.
As of Thursday, there were 7,000 guards in DC from more than a dozen states and the National Guard in DC. That number will more than triple in the coming days.
General William J. Walker, commander general of the District of Columbia National Guard, said the service guards knew they would be in the capital until at least January 24.
“Now, if conditions change, they will stay here longer. So what matters is that the National Guard will be here as long as we are required to be here, as long as we are needed,” he told CNN Friday.
Walker rejected suggestions that the presence of guards on the Capitol made it look like a war zone.
“This is not a war zone, and anyone who has ever been in a war knows that this is not a war zone. What you have here is a community-based organization, part of the United States military, the Guard, but we are citizen soldiers and airmen, and we represent the communities where we serve, “he said.
“But above all, Americans must be sure that the Guard is here in support of the leading federal agency – the United States Secret Service – and that the 59th presidential inauguration will be peaceful,” he said.
States increasing security in capitals
The FBI’s warning that armed protests are planned in all 50 states has prompted governors and police chiefs to send thousands of police and equipment to capitals across the country.
States are increasing security and calling on the National Guard in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
Florida and Maine also activated the National Guard to work on state law enforcement.
States are using heavy fences and additional crowd control measures, including Arizona, California, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Virginia and Washington, while Pennsylvania has built barriers and increased security.
Kentucky and Texas announced on Friday that the land around their capitals will be closed temporarily.
Michigan State Police are mobilizing personnel from across the state to protect the Capitol ahead of planned protests, including one on Sunday, the agency said in a statement on Friday.
Canceled legislative sessions and closed capital
The Senate and the Michigan City Council canceled legislative sessions because of “credible threats”.
In Virginia, a state of emergency has been declared in Richmond and Capitol Square will be closed. The state is anticipating a meeting on Monday for “Lobby Day,” an annual protest that last year brought thousands of gun rights advocates to the Capitol.
The governors of Maryland, New Mexico and Utah also declared a state of emergency.
In Oregon, the FBI set up a command post to gather and share information with law enforcement officials.
In Florida and Oklahoma, lawmakers and officials are being instructed to work from home this weekend. Pennsylvania, Indiana, South Carolina and Utah are closing their capitals entirely.
The windows on the first floor of state capitals in Illinois, Michigan, Virginia and Wisconsin were boarded up.
New Jersey told government officials to work from home on Tuesday. The New Jersey National Guard will have a “quick reaction force” of 100 standing by Sunday, Lt. Col. Barbara Brown told CNN on Friday.
Several large states are on high alert. In New York, the state police took steps “to strengthen security within and around the State Capitol in Albany”. And in California, more than 1,000 National Guard soldiers were stationed and fences were erected around the Capitol, after what the governor called an “unscrupulous attack on our Republic”.
CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, Manu Raju Brian Fung, Whitney Wild, Nicky Robertson, Ellie Kaufman, Oren Liebermann, Evan Simko-Bednarski, Mirna Alsharif, Evan Perez, Geneva Sands, MJ Lee and Alta Spells contributed to this report.