On Thursday, acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman revealed in a House hearing that right-wing militia groups had been discovered discussing the possibility of attempting to blow up the U.S. Capitol building when President Joe Biden delivers an address to a joint session of Congress. Thus, she said, security measures around the Capitol are slated to remain in place.
Pittman commented as follows:
‘We know that members of the militia groups that were present on January 6 have stated their desires that they want to blow up the Capitol and kill as many members as possible with a direct nexus to the State of the Union. Based on that information, we think that it’s prudent that Capitol Police maintain its enhanced and robust security posture until we address those vulnerabilities… We have no intention of keeping the National Guard soldiers or that fencing any longer than what is actually needed.’
The security measures at the Capitol have included tall fencing with barbed wire and National Guard troops, and these measures have attracted criticism. During an appearance on Fox last weekend, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) insisted that the security measures are “all about a political narrative… that the Capitol needs to be protected from the people that voted for President Trump” — but the idea that the Capitol requires serious security isn’t some kind of political conspiracy! Last month, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, and their rampage is connected to multiple deaths. While in the Capitol, the rioters hunted political leaders like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and then-Vice President Mike Pence, who they hoped to murder. Calling Capitol security a political stunt is ridiculous.
Besides the security concerns surrounding an imminent Biden address to Congress, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) also recently revealed that there are ongoing security concerns surrounding March 4, when certain extreme right Trump supporters delusionally believe that the ex-president will be inaugurated for a second term. According to Smith, the possibility of a planned second attack on the Capitol has come up, meaning that the Capitol security is clearly imperative. Downplaying the ongoing need for security protections is ridiculous — at the Capitol last month, when rioters stormed the building, some of them set up a literal gallows outside.
