Some members of Congress have told their party leadership that they fear for their lives and the lives of their families, sources told CNN. And several members of Congress have taken new security measures, sources told CNN.
The more they learn in reporting and online, the more concerned they are, several sources said. There is a growing awareness of the danger they are in, the sources said, especially when they see videos that reflect how coordinated the attack seemed at times.
A video of particular concern shows militia members with their arms around each other’s shoulders, pushing each other in a line that meanders through a crowd that flutters against the door of the Capitol building, a Congressional source told CNN.
“I am,” Meijer told CNN when asked if he feared threats would be made against him. “But I’m not going to let that influence my decision. I think if we veto the killers, if we veto the rebels, we will lose something in this country and I will not let that happen again.”
Since then, Meijer has added that he plans to buy bulletproof vests and is adjusting his daily routines to protect himself from death threats.
“It’s sad that we have to get to this point, but you know, our expectation is that someone will try to kill us,” Meijer said on Thursday on MSNBC.
“I mean, just today, just this morning, one of my offices received a threat to my life. I received other threats to my security. My address, a photo of my home where my family lives was posted on a kind of anti “Dusty Facebook page. These are dark times. There is an enormous amount of outrage and anger,” Johnson told PBS on Wednesday. “The reality is that I think that not just me, but all my colleagues, we need to recognize that we may be in danger, but we still need to do our job.”
Johnson said the threats so far come from supporters of President Donald Trump.
“In the last week, a preponderance of threats came from the extreme right”, recognizing that in the past it received threats from the left.
Projecting security concerns about the next inauguration, Mayor Jim Clyburn told CNN on Wednesday that although he felt safe on the Capitol that day, he wasn’t sure how safe he would feel on the day of the inauguration until that he received more details.
“I feel safe today, I have no idea how I will feel on the 20th, because I don’t know what they are going to do,” said Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina.
“It is a very sad comment that we have to install metal detectors outside the House plenary because other colleagues may pose a threat to the safety of members,” a Democratic aide told CNN.
Likewise, some Republican members have also felt uncomfortable with some of their caucuses that are known to carry weapons, according to a Republican Party source.
In response to members’ growing concerns about their security, the Chamber’s Management Committee issued a letter earlier this week reminding them of what security measures they could afford and the process for strengthening their security protocols. Members can be reimbursed for purchasing a bulletproof vest, hiring security personnel in certain cases, or obtaining their own security training and making a series of security improvements at their district offices.
Internal Help Questions
As CNN previously reported, there are still more questions than answers about whether pro-Trump rioters have had any internal help.
There is early evidence, as well as unverified accusations, that some Republican lawmakers collaborated with some of the extremist conspiracy theorists who organized the rallies and could even have given “reconnaissance” trips to the protesters before the attack.
A group of Democratic lawmakers asked the United States Capitol Police to open an investigation into possible collaboration between members of Congress and the protesters who attacked the building.
Representative Jason Crow, a Democrat from Colorado who was captured in an iconic photograph hidden in the Chamber gallery during the attack, said on Thursday on CNN that some lawmakers gave tours, although visits have been banned since the pandemic began.
“We will follow where the facts take us,” said Crow. “We are not going to make assumptions. I am not a mind reader.”
He also said he “lost confidence” in the US Capitol Police to keep him and other lawmakers safe from threats.
Deputy Mary Gay Scanlon, one of the letter’s co-subscribers, confirmed to CNN that she saw groups of six to eight people in MAGA costumes during the trips. a day or two before the attack.
“I had seen what appeared to be groups of people in MAGA suits, in the corridors, in the tunnels,” Scanlon told CNN.
“I don’t know exactly what day it was, it was just amazing to see that happen because, since Covid, the building has been closed. There shouldn’t be any tours. So I kind of assumed it must be a new member who didn’t know the rules or something. But, I mean, I can verify that it happened. There were people who were roaming the halls, apparently under the guidance of Congress officials. “
As the massive criminal investigation increases, this angle will be an intense focus for the Department of Justice and the FBI, as they try to find out if any lawmakers or officials helped in a conspiracy to attack the Capitol and interrupt Electoral College proceedings.
It is unclear what future revelations Cheney was referring to, but she is a lawmaker connected with connections in Washington, who would likely be in a position to gain insights into the investigation before things became clear to the public.
CNN’s Ryan Nobles contributed to this report.