Members of the National Guard in Washington, DC, will wear black vests – in place of their usual camouflage clothing – on Wednesday, when crowds have already begun to gather to show their support for President Trump before the newly inaugurated Congress officially electoral certifications officially The college votes in the final round before President-elect Joe Biden takes office on January 20.
The black identification vests are intended to highlight a different mission for the DC National Guard, Capt. Spokesman Tinashe T. Machona told Fox News. It is the traditional uniform worn during domestic support operations, including presidential inaugurations, the celebration of the 4th of July, the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 57th anniversary of March in Washington last year. It is not body armor or a tactical vest.
“It’s different from the camouflage vest, just as this mission is different from other missions we’ve done in the past,” said Machona, explaining that each black identification vest includes the name of the guard, rank and service “plus the DC flag to show our pride in our city. “
DC National Guardsman wears a black ID vest instead of a camouflage option.
(National Guard DC)
As thousands are expected to show up to support Trump on Wednesday, DC, Councilor Charles Allen urged people not to protest in the nation’s capital to avoid a repeat of the clashes between opposing groups seen after the evening of December 12.
Trump is planning to address supporters at 11 am at a rally in Ellipse, south of the White House.
Referring to protests planned this week by those he called “white nationalists and militia groups,” said Allen “these are people who have already lost, desperately clinging to conspiracy theories, which will not be substantiated. They are anxious. to harm others. “
“They will not overturn the results of our national election. They will not prevent a peaceful transfer of power. They just seek conflict to rise. Do not give them what they seek,” Allen said in a statement. “Going downtown to protest, during a pandemic, will do nothing to promote our values and will only complicate the district’s planned response to protect DC residents and institutions.”
People participate in a rally in support of President Donald Trump called “Rally Save America”, Wednesday, January 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo / Jacquelyn Martin)
On Tuesday night, at least six people were arrested for a variety of crimes, including possession of weapons and ammunition, assaulting a police officer, simple assault and possession of a stun gun. Hundreds of Trump supporters gathered at Freedom Plaza to criticize the vote at the Electoral College and remained after dark, even when temperatures dropped to 40 degrees and a steady rain fell.
The video that circulated online showed a group of people, many of whom carried pro-Trump flags and did not wear masks, cursing Antifa as they marched through the streets on Tuesday night. The crowd clashed with police officers blocking access to Black Lives Matter Square.
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Trump and his campaign team contested the election results and took their claims to courts across the country, and almost all of these legal challenges have failed. A group of Republican senators led by Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said they will oppose certification of election results on Wednesday, unless there is a 10-day emergency audit of the results by an election commission.
In a series of tweets on Tuesday, the president – arguing that Antifa should be declared a terrorist organization – warned the far-left group to stay out of Washington, adding that the police are watching “very closely”.
The president told Democrats, as well as the “weak and ineffective RINO section of the Republican Party”, to pay attention to the thousands of people who “pour out” in DC that he says “they will not support an overwhelming electoral victory being stolen.”
“Washington is being inundated with people who don’t want to see an electoral victory stolen by encouraged radical left Democrats,” tweeted Trump. “Our country is fed up, they can’t take it anymore! We heard you (and we love you) from the Oval Office. MAKE AMERICA AGAIN!”
The Women for America First group estimated that 30,000 people will attend the so-called “Save Rally America” at Ellipse on Wednesday, according to a license presented to the National Park Service. Several other pro-Trump rallies are planned for Wednesday in different locations in the nation’s capital.
According to a DC National Guard press release, more than 300 guards are supporting the District of Columbia from January 5-7, 2021, at the request of Mayor Muriel Bowser and Dr. Christopher Rodriguez, director of the Department of Security DC Internal and Emergency Management Agency on behalf of the DC Metropolitan Police Department and DC Emergency and Fire Services.
Allen pointed out that DC did not issue licenses for pro-Trump events scheduled for this week, and these meetings were planned to take place on federal property. Over the weekend, Bowser, a staunch critic of Trump, advised residents not to get involved with the protesters “who come to our city in search of confrontation, and we will do whatever is necessary to ensure that everyone who appears remains at peace “.
People wait for a meeting of supporters of President Donald Trump challenging the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election in the ellipse outside the White House on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images)
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She reminded the public and all participants at the rally that firearms are prohibited “less than 1,000 feet from any First Amendment activity,” and the police put up signs notifying the public that all firearms will be banned – even for city residents who have a hidden license.
A pro-Trump rally on December 12 ended in violence when hundreds of Trump supporters, wearing the black and yellow signature of the Proud Boys, a pro-Trump group, clashed with Antifa members and local BLM activists trying to stop them from Black Lives Matter Plaza, an area close to the White House. At least two local Black churches had banners of Black Lives Mattered overturned and set on fire.
Police officers were seen on Wednesday morning parked outside these churches, WRC-TV reported.
On Monday, police arrested Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, 36, after he arrived in Washington before this week’s protests. Tarrio was accused of burning one of the Black Lives Matter tracks in December and was found with two high-capacity firearms magazines, police said. A judge signed an order on Tuesday banning Tarrio from entering the District of Columbia, with very limited exceptions related to his criminal case.
People wait for a meeting of supporters of President Donald Trump challenging the results of the U.S. presidential election in 2020 at the Ellipse outside the White House on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images)
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Machona said that part of the functions of the DC National Guard this week will be to support the police and fire / EMS in closing roads and at subway stops. Enhanced security measures are being taken around the Capitol complex, and the Metropolitan Police have reported that there will be severe parking restrictions and street closures throughout the District of Columbia.
By moving to and from office buildings and the Capitol, the US Capitol Police encouraged members of Congress and officials to use the underground access points and Cannon and Rayburn tunnels instead of walking outdoors or driving to Capitol Square, according to a security memo sent on Tuesday. Members were encouraged to arrive before 9 am on Wednesday.
In addition to the National Guard, federal agents were on standby if needed quickly.
The Federal Prison Office said about 100 “specially trained officers” were sent to the Justice Department headquarters to assist other security personnel, but would remain “in reserve capacity, unless necessary”. The Department of Homeland Security, meanwhile, said that, unlike the May and June disturbances in Washington, it did not plan to send Customs and Border Protection agents to the demonstration on Wednesday.
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Several prominent Trump supporters were expected to attend the rallies on Wednesday, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Trump’s ally Roger Stone, who received a pardon from the president. Stone was convicted of lying to Congress during an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections and sentenced to three years in prison. Trump commuted the sentence while Stone appealed and later issued a full pardon.
Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, whom the president also forgave after he was twice convicted of lying to the FBI in special attorney Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russia, spoke at the pro-Trump rally on Freedom Plaza on Tuesday.
Bradford Betz of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.