US Capitol Police Anticipate Possible Attack On Congress Ahead of January 6th Anniversary
JAKARTA - The United States Capitol Police is preparing for any possible future attack on Congress, its commander said Monday ahead of the second anniversary of the deadly attacks on January 6, 2021 and the disbanding of the Congressional panel investigating it.
"The current threat climate, particularly to elected officials, will require continued and heightened vigilance," USCP Police Chief Tom Manger said in a statement, citing Reuters, January 3.
"With our nation's polarized state, attacks such as those experienced on January 6, 2021 can be attempted again. If the unthinkable happens, we will be ready," he continued.
Five people were killed and more than 140 police officers injured two years ago, when supporters of President Donald Trump stormed Capitol Hill, as lawmakers were certifying Joe Biden's victory over Trump in the US Presidential Election.
A bipartisan US House panel investigating the attack said last month Trump should face criminal charges over his role in triggering the deadly siege.
The 18-month probe ended when Trump's fellow Republicans took control of the US House majority on Tuesday, after promising to dissolve the panel.
In its final document release Monday, the Jan. 6 panel cited security concerns as Congress changed hands, sending some of the notes to the White House and Department of Homeland Security for review and return to the National Archives.
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"Starting next week when the Committee is dissolved, the Committee will no longer control this material, and thus cannot ensure the enforcement of its commitment to maintain the confidentiality of witnesses' identities," wrote Panel Chair Bennie Thompson, a Democrat along with deputy chairman Representative Liz Cheney, a Republican. .
Incoming US House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, in an MSNBC interview on Monday, said it was now up to the US Department of Justice "to follow the facts, apply the law (and) be guided by the Constitution."
It is known that some 900 people have been charged so far for taking part in the rioting, including about 470 guilty pleas, according to a tally released last month by the department, which is conducting its own investigation into the attack.