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- Capitol Police on Monday night briefed House Democrats about emerging threats involving President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20.
- Lawmakers were informed of at least three planned protests in Washington, DC, in the coming days, HuffPost reported.
- The FBI warned in a Tuesday bulletin that Trump supporters are planning “armed protests” at the US Capitol and all 50 state capitol buildings in the days leading up to next Wednesday’s inauguration.
- Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have also received violent threats, the FBI said.
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House Democrats were briefed by law enforcement on Monday night about emerging threats surrounding President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, just days after President Donald Trump’s loyalists violently breached the US Capitol in Washington, DC.
Lawmakers were informed during a call with the Capitol Police of at least three plans to organize protests or attack Democrats in the coming days, HuffPost first reported. One plan reportedly involves the president’s supporters surrounding the Capitol, Supreme Court, and the White House on Inauguration Day in an attempt to block or attack Democratic officials.
“They were talking about 4,000 armed ‘patriots’ to surround the Capitol and prevent any Democrat from going in,” Rep. Conor Lamb, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, told CNN on Tuesday. He added that Trump supporters planning the next violent riot have distributed “rules of engagement” instructing the group on when to use firearms.
“This is an organized group that has a plan,” Lamb said. “They are committed to doing what they’re doing because I think in their minds, you know, they are patriots and they’re talking about 1776 and so this is now a contest of wills.”
The FBI warned in a Tuesday bulletin that Trump supporters are planning “armed protests” at the US Capitol and all 50 state capitol buildings in the days leading up to next Wednesday’s inauguration. Some people are threatening action if Congress or Trump administration officials move forward with removing the president. One armed group “warned that if Congress attempts to remove POTUS via the 25th Amendment a huge uprising will occur,”ABC News reporter Aaron Katersky first reported.
The FBI said it is also aware of threats of violence against Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Federal officials are sending at least 10,000 National Guard troops to Washington, DC, by Saturday and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser is urging people to stay away from the city during the inaugural events.
Senators will receive a briefing from the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, and the Secret Service on Tuesday afternoon, NBC News reported. FBI officials are also scheduled to brief lawmakers on Tuesday for the first time about how law enforcement responded to last Wednesday's insurrection.