Militants targeting Biden’s SOTU
Capitol police say militants are targeting Biden’s SOTU
Some blame the U.S. Capitol Police department for not doing enough to stop the Jan. 6 attack on the building they’re charged with protecting. Now with additional threats on the table, the department isn’t taking any chances.
President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address has been targeted with violent threats, including potential assassination attempts against powerful Democrats, the Blaze reported. Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman said during a hearing Thursday that it was “prudent” to keep an “enhanced and robust security posture” for the foreseeable future.
“We know that members of militia groups that were present on Jan. 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, which we know that date has not been identified,” Pittman said via video conference Thursday. “So 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 going forward,” she added.
Thousands of protestors stormed the U.S. Capitol during a joint session of Congress. Questions abounded whether Capitol police were unaware or simply unprepared. “Although we knew the likelihood for violence by extremists, no credible threat indicated that tens of thousands would attack the U.S. Capitol, nor did the intelligence received from the FBI or any other law enforcement partner indicate such a threat,” Pittman explained.
Pittman was speaking to lawmakers in front of the House Appropriations subcommittee Thursday, according to The Hill. She was joined by acting House Sergeant-at-Arms Timothy Blodgett to answer questions from both Republicans and Democrats, often defending the department’s lack of foresight and preparedness during the Jan. 6 attack.
Admitting that security procedures were “not adhered to as they should have” been, Pittman said there was a lack of communication between law enforcement inside the building and out. “When my staff was notified, my staff or the Capitol Police, or both together worked to extract the individuals from where they were trapped, but the system was dependent on my staff being notified,” Blodgett also offered.
At various times throughout the hearing, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle accused the department of doing more to save face rather than assess what actually went wrong during the earlier attack. Pittman defended the ongoing use of perimeter fences installed after the attack that she acknowledged are “not popular.”
The office of President of the United States is important to the nation, and his security is paramount regardless of what his party affiliation is. If there is a credible threat still present to Biden, it’s vital that every precaution remain in place. Nobody wants to see 5,000.
https://americandigest.com/capitol-police-say-militants-are-targeting-bidens-sotu/