WASHINGTON — Officials have stepped up security around the Capitol to levels not seen in the months leading up to President Biden’s State of the Union address Tuesday as lawmakers prepare for planned columns of trucker protesters arriving in Washington.
The pro-Trump mafia violence a year ago is still fresh in the minds of many lawmakers. faced with an influx of threats, officials erected a fence around the perimeter of the Capitol, sent in National Guard troops, and deployed military equipment and police vehicles at strategic points on the streets near Congress. US Capitol Police said they would close 18 different stretches of Washington highways to motorists.
“We are ready to take immediate law enforcement action for violations of our local and federal laws if necessary,” said Robert J. Conti III, chief of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, at a news conference Monday, accompanied by Mayor Muriel Bowser. and federal law enforcement officials. He promised to increase the staff and “strengthen” security throughout the city.
The security fence was erected last January after a mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol, but it was removed in July to allow public access to the complex. In September, he was briefly reinstated in preparation for a right-wing rally in support of those arrested in connection with the January 6 attack.
A convoy of truckers heading to Washington to protest the ban on vaccination raised the alarm again.
A Department of Homeland Security intelligence bulletin obtained by The New York Times said the caravans “are likely to create public safety problems for first responders if convoys are significant” and warned that some local extremists “are likely to be drawn into this event.” and may engage in deliberate or opportunistic violence.”
At a press conference on Tuesday, Sean Gallagher, the Capitol’s acting assistant police chief, said the perimeter fencing was temporary and was installed out of “too much caution.” He suggested that shortly after Mr. Biden’s speech, he would be removed if there were no security issues.
The State of the Union always attracts increased security, given that it brings members of all three branches of government — the president and his cabinet, members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and Supreme Court justices — together in the same room. But the security forces said that this year they were on a special high alert regime.
Despite the organizer’s warnings that “tens of thousands” of truck drivers will converge It was unclear at the country’s Capitol, officials said, if convoys of truckers protesting Covid-19 mandates were actually materializing and when they might arrive.
“Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know,” Chief Conti said of when protesters might arrive, adding: “While we expect the best, we always plan for the worst. So we have resources that are deployed – largely coordinating with all of our federal partners here – to make sure we have a secure State of the Union and a peaceful First Amendment assembly any day it comes along.”
Capitol Riot Aftermath: Key Events
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First court. Guy Wesley Reffit, who is accused of obstructing the work of Congress on January 6, should become first defendant to stand trial in a case involving a riot in the Capitol. The trial, which begins on February 28, will set the tone for dozens of other cases.
The National Guard, which sent thousands of troops to the Capitol last year between January 6 and May, has moved troops into the city again in recent days.
The Department of Defense authorized the deployment of about 400 unarmed D.C. National Guard troops and 50 large tactical vehicles at designated road posts for 24 hours before Mr. Biden’s speech. The department also authorized up to 300 members of the National Guard from outside Washington to provide assistance at designated road posts and select entry points to the Capitol. The Philadelphia Police also provided personnel to provide security.
Despite heightened security measures, the House of Representatives chamber will offer Biden a more normal background than last year’s speech, which was given under severe pandemic restrictions. Citing the decline in coronavirus cases in Washington, D.C., Dr. Brian P. Monahan, the Capitol’s attending physician.said masks would no longer be required in the House of Representatives, making the practice optional regardless of vaccination status for the first time in more than a year.
There are still some restrictions: there will be virtual guests rather than face-to-face meetings because the House’s floor-view gallery will be used to house lawmakers and ensure their social distancing, according to a memo issued by William J. Walker, House Sergeant. – in service, and there will be health checks for coronavirus. Lawmakers, employees and journalists will also be required to show proof of a negative coronavirus test taken the day before the event.
And instead of turning the Statuary Hall into a frenzy of lights and cameras ready to catch the reaction to the speech, these cameras will be installed in office buildings and elsewhere in the Capitol to catch lawmakers eager to appreciate the president’s remarks.
John Ismay contributed reporting.