WASHINGTON (AP) Poised to impeach, the House sped ahead with plans to oust President Donald Trump from office, warning he is a threat to democracy and pushing the vice president and Cabinet to act even more quickly in an extraordinary effort to remove Trump in the final days of his presidency.
Trump faces a single charge “incitement of insurrection” after the deadly Capitol riot in an impeachment resolution that the House will begin debating Wednesday.
At the same time, the FBI warned ominously Monday of potential armed protests in Washington and many states by Trump loyalists ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration Jan. 20. In a dark foreshadowing, the Washington Monument was closed to the public amid the threats of disruption. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf abruptly resigned.
Next week could be a week of right-wing terrorism across the United States. That’s because the FBI is warning “Armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitols from 16 January through at least 20 January, and at the U.S. Capitol from 17 January through 20 January,” according to an internal bulletin obtained by ABC News on Monday.
The FBI’s alert also flagged “state, local and federal government courthouses and administrative buildings” as targets of demonstrators still angry over outgoing President Donald Trump’s election loss.
What to expect: Agents “supporting our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners with maintaining public safety in the communities we serve. Our efforts are focused on identifying, investigating, and disrupting individuals that are inciting violence and engaging in criminal activity,” the bureau said in a statement Monday.
Secret Service: Capitol insurrection has not changed Inauguration Day plans
Officials said plans for 2021 have been in development for nearly a year, adding the number of personnel on the ground would not be impacted by the Jan. 6 riot. Author: Mike Valerio Updated: 6:22 AM PST January 12, 2021
WASHINGTON Five days after domestic terrorists stormed the U.S. Capitol and spurred a nation-wide effort to arrest the insurrectionists, officials with the Secret Service said plans for the 2021 inauguration were unchanged, and the siege did not alter worst-case scenarios already envisioned.
“Our teams are literally planning for any type of situation that could occur on January 20th,” said Ben Stafford, deputy special agent-in-charge of the Secret Service’s Dignitary Protection Division. “We re in the home stretch of a long planning period, and we re staying the course right now.”