Federal law enforcement officials are examining several threats against members of Congress as the second trial against former President Donald Trump approaches
WASHINGTON – Federal law enforcement officials are examining various threats against members of Congress as the second trial against former President Donald Trump approaches, including nefarious talks about killing lawmakers or attacking them outside the State Capitol United States, a U.S. official told The Associated Press.
Threats and concerns that armed protesters could fire the Capitol again have prompted U.S. Capitol Police and other federal law enforcement to insist that thousands of National Guard soldiers remain in Washington as the Senate advances. with plans for the said Trump trial.
The shocking insurgency in the Capitol by a pro-Trump crowd caused federal officials to rethink security at and around their landmarks, leading to an unprecedented shutdown for Biden’s inauguration. While the event went smoothly and armed protests across the country did not materialize, threats to lawmakers before the Trump trial exemplified the potential for continued danger.
Similar to those intercepted by investigators prior to Biden’s inauguration, the threats followed by police officers vary in specificity and credibility, said the official, who had been briefed on the matter. Posted primarily online and in chat groups, the messages have included plots to attack members of Congress during trips to the Capitol complex during and during the trial, according to the official.
The official was not allowed not to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to the PA on condition of anonymity.
Law enforcement officials are already beginning to plan the possibility of armed protesters returning to the country’s capital when the trial in Trump’s Senate begins on the week of February 8 on charges of inciting a violent insurgency in the week of February February 8th. It would be the first indictment of a former US president.
Thousands of Trump supporters descended on the Capitol on Jan. 6 when Congress gathered to certify Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential race. More than 800 are believed to have headed to the Capitol during the violent siege, beating officials overwhelmed police. Capitol police said they planned a protest for free speech, not a riot, and that they were caught unawares despite intelligence, the rally would go down to a riot. Five people were killed in melee, including a Capitol police officer who was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher.
Although much of the security apparatus around Washington created after the riot and before Biden took office – it included dozens of military checks and hundreds of additional law enforcement personnel – is no longer available. instead, some 7,000 members of the National Guard will remain to assist federal authorities, officials said.
The guard office said the number of guard members in DC is less than 20,000 as of Sunday. All but 7,000 will return home in the next few days. The Guard Office said the number of troops in DC would continue to decline in the coming weeks to about 5,000. They are expected to stay in DC until mid-March.
At least five people facing federal charges have suggested they believed they were taking orders from Trump when they marched on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6 to challenge Biden’s election victory certification. But now those comments, captured in interviews with journalists and federal agents, are likely to take center stage as Democrats expose their case.
More than 130 people have been charged by federal prosecutors for their roles in the riot. In recent weeks, others have been arrested after posting threats against members of Congress.
They include a Proud Boys supporter who authorities said threatened to deploy “three cars full of armed patriots” in Washington, who threatened to injure Senator Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., And who is accused of storing knives military-style fighter and more than 1,000 rifles at his New York home. A Texas man was arrested this week for participating in the riot at the Capitol and posting violent threats, including a call to assassinate Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y
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Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.