FBI vetting Guard troops in DC amid fears of insider attack
U.S. defense officials say they are worried about an insider attack or other threat from service members involved in securing President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, prompting the FBI to vet all of the 25,000 National Guard troops coming into Washington for the event. The massive undertaking reflects the extraordinary security concerns that have gripped Washington following the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump rioters. And it underscores fears that some of the very people assigned to protect the city over the next several days could present a threat to the incoming president and other VIPs in attendance. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told The Associated Press on Sunday that officials are conscious of the potential threat, and he warned commanders to be on the lookout for any problems within their ranks as the inauguration approaches. So far, however, he and other leaders say they have seen no evidence of any threats, and officials said the vetting hadn’t flagged any issues that they were aware of. ”We’re continually going through the process, and taking second, third looks at every one of the individuals assigned to this operation,” McCarthy said in an interview after he and other military leaders went through an exhaustive, three-hour security drill in preparation for Wednesday’s inauguration. He said Guard members are also getting training on how to identify potential insider threats. About 25,000 members of the National Guard are streaming into Washington from across the country — at least two and a half times the number for previous inaugurals. And while the military routinely reviews service members for extremist connections, the FBI screening is in addition to any previous monitoring. Multiple officials said the process began as the first Guard troops began deploying to D.C. more than a week ago. And they said it is slated to be complete by Wednesday. Several officials discussed military planning on condition of anonymity. “The question is, is that all of them? Are there others?” said McCarthy. “We need to be conscious of it and we need to put all of the mechanisms in place to thoroughly vet these men and women who would support any operations like this.” In a situation like this one, FBI vetting would involve running peoples’ names through databases and watchlists maintained by the bureau to see if anything alarming comes up. That could include involvement in prior investigations or terrorism-related concerns, said David Gomez, a former FBI national security supervisor in Seattle. Insider threats have been a persistent law enforcement priority in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. But in most cases, the threats are from homegrown insurgents radicalized by al-Qaida, the Islamic State group, or similar groups. In contrast, the threats against Biden’s inauguration have been fueled by supporters of President Donald Trump, far-right militants, white supremacists, and other radical groups. Many believe Trump’s baseless accusations that the election was stolen from him, a claim that has been refuted by many courts, the Justice Department, and Republican officials in key battleground states. The insurrection at the Capitol began after Trump made incendiary remarks at the Jan. 6 rally. According to McCarthy, service members from across the military were at that rally, but it’s not clear how many were there or who may have participated in the breach at the Capitol. So far only a couple of current active-duty or National Guard members have been arrested in connection with the Capitol assault, which left five people dead. The dead included a Capitol Police officer and a woman shot by police as she climbed through a window in a door near the House chamber. Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, has been meeting with Guard troops as they arrive in D.C. and as they gather downtown. He said he believes there are good processes in place to identify any potential threats. “If there’s any indication that any of our soldiers or airmen are expressing things that are extremist views, it’s either handed over to law enforcement or dealt with the chain of command immediately,” he said. The insider threat, however, was just one of the security concerns voiced by officials on Sunday, as dozens of military, National Guard, law enforcement, and Washington, D.C., officials and commanders went through a security rehearsal in northern Virginia. As many as three dozen leaders lined tables that ringed a massive color-coded map of D.C. reflected onto the floor. Behind them were dozens more National Guard officers and staff, with their eyes trained on additional maps and charts displayed on the wall. The Secret Service is in charge of event security, but there is a wide variety of military and law enforcement personnel involved, ranging from the National Guard and the FBI to Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department, U.S. Capitol Police, and U.S. Park Police. Commanders went over every aspect of the city’s complicated security lockdown, with McCarthy and others peppering them with questions about how the troops will respond in any scenario and how well they can communicate with the other enforcement agencies scattered around the city. Hokanson said he believes his troops have been adequately equipped and prepared, and that they are rehearsing as much as they can to be prepared for any contingency. The major security concern is an attack by armed groups of individuals, as well as planted explosives and other devices. McCarthy said intelligence reports suggest that groups are organizing armed rallies leading up to Inauguration Day, and possibly after that. The bulk of the Guard members will be armed. And McCarthy said units are going through repeated drills to practice when and how to use force and how to work quickly with law enforcement partners. Law enforcement officers would make any arrests. He said Guard units are going through “constant mental repetitions of looking at the map and talking through scenarios with leaders so they understand their task and purpose, they know their routes, they know where they’re friendly, adjacent units are, they have the appropriate frequencies
Joe Biden forgoing Amtrak trip to Washington over security fears
President-elect Joe Biden will no longer be taking an Amtrak train to Washington for his inauguration because of security concerns, a person briefed on the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The president-elect’s decision reflects growing worries over potential threats in the Capitol and across the U.S. in the lead-up to Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration. Security in Washington has ramped up considerably in preparation for the inauguration after the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump, and the FBI warned over the weekend of plans for armed protests at all 50 state capitals and in Washington, D.C., in the days leading up to the event. The person briefed on Biden’s decision spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters. The news was first reported by CNN. The move to forgo the 90-minute train ride from his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, to Washington was likely not easy for the president-elect. Biden’s preference for riding the train during his 36-year Senate career was such a central part of his public persona that he rode Amtrak home on his final day as vice president, and he used a train tour through Ohio and Pennsylvania during the presidential campaign as part of an effort to appeal to blue-collar workers. Biden became known for riding the train starting from his very earliest days in the Senate when he made a point to return home nearly every night to help raise his young sons after his wife and young daughter died in a car accident in 1972. His embrace of Amtrak — and the friends he made among the train conductors and staff as a regular — was featured in a short film that aired during the Democratic National Convention last August. The train ride is not the only security-related development surrounding the inauguration. On Wednesday, Biden received a briefing from FBI officials, the Secret Service, and his national security team about the potential for additional violence in the coming days. “In the week since the attack on Congress by a mob that included domestic terrorists and violent extremists, the nation has continued to learn more about the threat to our democracy and about the potential for additional violence in the coming days, both in the National Capital Region and in cities across the country,” according to a statement from the Biden transition team. “This is a challenge that the President-elect and his team take incredibly seriously.” Across Washington, but particularly around the Capitol, the National Mall, and some nearby federal buildings, security has increased considerably, with nonscalable walls and metal gates erected, streets closed and a new contingent of National Guard troops camped out at the Capitol. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
No American Covenant or New Frontier for this president. Donald Trump speaks of ‘American carnage.’
America is getting what it ordered on Election Day. If anyone was expecting an evolution from Donald Trump the candidate to Donald Trump the president, never mind. The new president delivered an inaugural address Friday that was straight from his campaign script — to the delight or dismay of different subsets of Americans. Trump gave nods to unity and began with kind words for Barack and Michelle Obama, but pivoted immediately to a searing indictment of the status quo and the Obama years. Presidents past have promised an American Covenant, a New Frontier, a Great Society. Trump sketched a vision of “American carnage.” Then he promised to end it with a nationalist “America First” approach to governing. It was a speech for Trump’s supporters, but maybe not those who voted for somebody else. When Trump told the crowd on the National Mall and watching from afar that “everyone is listening to you now” and spoke of a “historic movement the likes of which the world has never seen before,” he seemed to harking back to his voters. “At some point, there has got to be a transference to being the leader of all the people,” said Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, though, heard “exactly the speech Trump needed to give to be the kind of president he wants to be.” “In a very workmanlike way, he was reasserting precisely the themes that had gotten him elected,” Gingrich said. “He is trying to communicate how he sees the next few years from his perspective: It will basically be pitched again and again as the people vs. the establishment, and it will be constant striving to reform the system.” In his 16-minute inaugural, Trump spoke in grim terms of families trapped in poverty, shuttered factories dotting the landscape like tombstones, of rampant crime, drugs and gangs. It was an echo of the bleak message he delivered at the Republican National Convention — and likewise short on specifics for how he will solve those problems. His pledge to make things better came wrapped as a nostalgic paean to better days long gone. “America will start winning again, winning like never before,” the new president said. “We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth. And we will bring back our dreams.” Nostalgia works for some Americans, but not all. “If you’re an African-American, 50 years ago doesn’t seem so great to you,” said Michael Gerson, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush and a frequent Trump critic. “You need some kind of vision for a future America.” The new president “amplifies resentments” in the name of pursuing change, said Gerson. “It’s always us vs. them.” Trump did directly take on the nation’s modern security challenges by giving a blanket promise to “eradicate completely from the face of the earth” the scourge of “Radical Islamic Terrorism” — a capitalized phrase that the Obama administration refused even to utter. But he’s given few details about how he’ll do that. Granted, inaugurals aren’t meant to be wonky policy speeches. But they must be backed by a plan of action to have oomph. As the new president took office, whitehouse.gov was filling up with policy pages that were long on broad goals and light on specifics. And the question marks about his policies on taxes, trade, immigration, terrorism and more are magnified by the sometimes contradictory policy pronouncements coming from his Cabinet nominees. Going into Friday’s address, Trump already had a lot of work to do to rally the nation behind him. Just 40 percent of Americans have a favorable view of him, far lower than any other president-elect’s popularity since at least the 1970s, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll. And if he can’t deliver on the bold promises of his inaugural, he’ll lose those he does have in his corner. “The speech is notable for laying down very specific markers by which his presidency will be assessed,” says Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a communications professor and director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. “The categorical nature of those markers is going to be problematic for him.” Gingrich put it more bluntly: “If he keeps us safe and creates jobs, he will almost certainly be re-elected. If he can’t do those things, he’s in deep trouble.” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Band from historically black Alabama college to march at Trump Inauguration, sparking controversy
Alabama’s own Marching Tornadoes from Talladega College have accepted an invitation to perform at the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, according to the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC). The state’s oldest private, historically black liberal arts college’s decision to participate has sparked controversy across the school’s social media sites with some criticizing the decision, while others are vocally supporting the band’s participation in the historic event. So Talladega College band playing for Donald Trump’s inauguration . How can you tarnish the legacy of an HBCU by associating it w| Trump? — Cowboys (13-3) (@RockHolyfield) December 23, 2016 Talladega College band really agreed to perform at Trump inauguration ? ? Can we just remove them from being a HBCU after this stunt ?. — Tiara ♛☺️ (@_ColorMeTee) December 27, 2016 Talladega College’s band is performing in the Trump Inaugural parade. They should play The Imperial March start to finish. — Mandela Barnes (@TheOtherMandela) January 1, 2017 We are all Americans regardless of color! Where do I donate to the Talladega Band? https://t.co/PyhC5Rkuio — Pete Riehm (@PeteRiehm) January 2, 2017 I hope the Talladega College band does go to the inaugural parade. Even if you don’t like Trump, the honor and recognition is big! pic.twitter.com/Wy2whMTNcv — Geek Alabama (@geekalabama) December 30, 2016 Congratulations to the Talladega College Band for being chosen to march in the Inaugural Parade #sweethomealabama #alpolitics pic.twitter.com/XGWxzG6gfh — Terry Lathan (@ChairmanLathan) December 30, 2016 The PIC announced Friday that Talladega College, along with 39 additional organizations — including high school and university marching bands, equestrian corps, first responders and veterans groups — are expected to make up the more than 8,000 participants in the Jan 20. inaugural parade. “People from every corner of the country have expressed great interest in President-elect Trump’s inauguration and look forward to continuing a salute to our republic that spans more than two centuries,” said PIC CEO Sara Armstrong. “As participants follow in the footsteps of our new president and vice president down Pennsylvania Avenue, they will be adding their names to the long list of Americans who have honored our country by marching in the inaugural parade.” Each branch of the United States military will be represented in the parade as well as the following groups, listed below in alphabetical order. 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment – Fort Hood, Texas 1st Infantry Commanding General’s Mounted Color – Ft. Riley, Kansas Boone County Elite 4-H Equestrian Drill Team – Burlington, Kentucky Caisson Platoon, Fort Myer – Fort Myer, Virginia Cleveland Police Mounted Unit – Cleveland, Ohio Coastal Florida Police & Fire Pipes & Drums – Palm Coast, Florida Columbus North High School Band – Columbus, Indiana Culver Academy Equestrian – Culver, Indiana First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Fishburne Military School Army JROTC Caissons Battalion – Fishburne, Virginia Frankfort High School Band – Ridgeley, West Virginia Franklin Regional High School Panther Marching Band – Murrysville, Pennsylvania Indianapolis Metro Police Motorcycle Drill Team – Indianapolis, Indiana Kids Overseas – Richmond Hill, Georgia Lil Wranglers – College Station, Texas Marist College Band – Poughkeepsie, New York Merced County Sheriff’s Posse – Hilmar, California Michigan Multi-Jurisdictional Mounted Police Drill Team & Color Guard – Ann Arbor, Michigan Mid America Cowgirls Rodeo Drill Team – New Buffalo, Michigan Nassau County Firefighters Pipes & Drums – East Meadow, New York North Carolina Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association – Hillsborough, North Carolina NYPD Emerald Society Pipes & Drums – East Moriches, New York Olivet Nazarene University – Bourbonnais, Illinois Palmetto Ridge High School Band – Naples, Florida Russellville High School Band – Russellville, Arkansas Talladega College Band – Talladega, Alabama Texas State University Strutters – San Marcos, Texas The Citadel Regimental Band & Pipes and Summerall Guards – Charleston, South Carolina The Freedom Riders – Kersey, Colorado Tragedy Assistance Marching Unit – Arlington, Virginia Tupelo High School Band – Tupelo, Mississippi University of Tennessee Marching Band – Knoxville, Tennessee VMI Corps of Cadets – Lexington, Virginia West Monroe High School Marching Band – West Monroe, Louisiana American Veterans – National Boy Scouts of America – National US Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations – National Disabled American Veterans – National US Border Patrol Pipes & Drums – National Wounded Warriors – National Talladega College has not returned phone calls from Alabama Today seeking comment on the controversial decision to participate in the parade.
Donald Trump inaugural to include prayers from prosperity preachers
Two preachers who teach that God will make the faithful rich are among the religious leaders chosen to offer prayers at President-elect Donald Trump‘s swearing-in, the inaugural committee said Wednesday. Prosperity gospel preachers Paula White, a friend of Trump’s, and Bishop Wayne T. Jackson, whose Detroit church hosted the Republican in September, will be among six faith leaders selected to participate in the Jan. 20 inauguration. It will be the first time preachers who spread the prosperity gospel will be included in the ceremony. While the faith movement is widely popular, many Christians consider it heretical. Ministers in the tradition often hold up their own wealth as evidence their teachings work. Trump had campaigned in part on his record as a wealthy real estate developer and businessman. The Senate Finance Committee had investigated White and five other prosperity preachers over their spending, but the inquiry ended in 2011 with no penalty for the televangelists. White said in a statement that she will pray to God at the inaugural “that He would richly bless our extraordinary home, the United States of America.” Anthony Pinn, a Rice University religious studies professor, described the prosperity gospel “as a way to religiously rationalize material acquisition.” He said participating in the inaugural gives the preachers a new kind of prominence. “You’ve got millions of people who will see them perform,” Pinn said. “There’s a tremendous amount of benefit that goes along with that.” The four other religious leaders included in the inaugural are the Rev. Franklin Graham, son of the evangelist Billy Graham; Roman Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York; the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, head of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, an evangelical group; and the Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which conducts education about the Holocaust and speaks out against anti-Semitism and bias. The Wiesenthal Center had previously criticized Trump, accusing him of casting suspicion on all Muslims in his remarks on terrorism. Hier said in a phone interview Wednesday that while he would continue to speak out against bigotry, he supports Trump’s approach to Israel. “I’m not in the camp of those who say we are now into the dark ages. I think the opposite – that America’s best years are ahead of it,” Hier said. Graham, who rallied Christian voters around the country this year over the issue of appointees to the U.S. Supreme Court, has credited God for Trump’s win over Hillary Clinton. Rodriguez, who had criticized Trump for his promises to deport millions of people in the country illegally, said Wednesday, “I have enjoyed getting to know President-elect Trump and his team.” Rodriguez called participating in the inaugural “a patriotic honor” and “a sacred duty.” Dolan said in a statement he will be reading from Scripture at the inaugural and will ask God to “inspire and guide our new president.” Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Donald Trump taps former Sessions aide to write inaugural address
Sen. Jeff Sessions‘ former 31-year-old policy wunderkind Stephen Miller has been tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to pen his inaugural address. Miller’s words will be centerstage January 20 when Trump delivers the highly anticipated speech from the U.S. Capitol. No stranger to Team Trump, Miller left Capitol Hill back in January where he began writing most of Trump’s prepared speeches on the campaign trail, including Trump’s address to the Republican National Convention in July. According to POLITICO.com, “early discussions of the address have focused on laying out some of the structural problems facing the country, and then framing Trump’s first-term agenda in more nationalistic than ideological terms.” From there the speech will focus on the nation’s education system, infrastructure, border security, the state of the military and the economy, including the outsourcing of jobs. Earlier this month, Trump announced Miller will serve as Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the President for Policy. “Stephen played a central and wide-ranging role in our primary and general election campaign,” Trump said in a news release. “He is deeply committed to the America First agenda, and understands the policies and actions necessary to put that agenda into effect. He is a strong advocate for protecting American workers, and will fulfill a crucial role in my Administration as my senior advisor on matters of policy.” In addition to being the campaign’s chief speechwriter, throughout 2016 Miller served as Trump’s top advisor on policy where he oversaw the entire policy operation, led the policy development and formulation efforts, and directed strategic policy decisions on a day-to-day basis. He is currently the policy director for the President-elect’s Transition Team.
Donald Trump’s inauguration set to test nation’s readiness to heal
One thing you can count on during inauguration season in Washington: People of all stripes will find a reason to show up — whether it’s to celebrate or commiserate. There are parties and protests to attend, stars to gawk at, receptions to be worked, deals to be done, drinks to be consumed. Less than two months out from Inauguration Day, there’s a different dynamic surrounding the planning for Donald Trump‘s swearing-in than the unbridled enthusiasm that swirled around the installation of the first black president in 2008. Crowd expectations are down. Fewer A-list celebrities are likely to descend. Hotels still have rooms to be rented. But congressional offices are maxing out on ticket requests for the Jan. 20 swearing-in. Trump’s inaugural committee is wooing big donors with candlelight dinners, exclusive luncheons and premier access to balls. Interest groups are lining up sideline events. And among those still mourning Hillary Clinton‘s loss, there is plenty of counter-programming afoot, including plans for a giant women’s march aimed at sending a defiant message to the incoming president. Before the election, District of Columbia planners set an early estimate of 800,000-900,000 people for this year’s inauguration and they haven’t revised that number yet, according to Christopher Geldart, director of D.C.’s Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. But there’s scant expectation of replicating the 1.8 million people who descended on Washington for Barack Obama‘s first inaugural. Nor will Hollywood turn out as it did for Obama, whose two inaugurals attracted the likes of Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, Usher, Jamie Foxx, Jay-Z, Oprah Winfrey and many more A-listers. “More than any election we’ve seen in a very long time, the Hollywood community was really behind Hillary, and a lot of people put their reputations on the line,” says longtime Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman. “Clearly those are people who are going to be taking their Xanax and Valium that day and staying in bed with the covers over them.” But Bragman said there still will be Republican-leaning celebrities who turn out for Trump — and a larger contingent of Hollywood types who show up for counter events like the women’s march planned for the day after Trump’s inauguration. While demand for hotel rooms and other venues is slower than at this point four and eight years ago, hoteliers remain “guardedly optimistic,” according to Elliott Ferguson, president of Destination DC, the city’s tourism bureau. Some hotels that set up four-day-minimum inaugural packages are rethinking that model, hoping to capture more business from those headed to Washington for the women’s march. Hotels are noticing “more rooms being picked up on Saturday than on Friday,” Ferguson says, suggesting strong interest in the march, whose organizers hope to draw 200,000 people to the city. Be advised: The president-elect’s own Trump International Hotel is sold out. Still available: For $2.5 million, the J.W. Marriott is offering a package that includes four presidential suites, 325 guest rooms, a craft bourbon barrel tasting reception, special inauguration menus, and a private viewing party on the terrace overlooking the parade route, among other amenities. There are always more affordable options through rental network Airbnb, which says local bookings for inauguration weekend spiked by 80 percent during the week after the election. Airbnb host Jade Moore, a video editor and Democrat, doubled her prices to $200 a night for inauguration weekend and says she’s booked both Trump supporters and women marchers for her Anacostia home. Before her inaugural guests arrive, she’ll be removing the toilet paper bearing Trump’s photo and the sign in her bathroom that invites people to “take a dump on Trump.” “I’m sure we’ll all get along,” says Moore, hopefully. “We don’t even have to bring up politics.” Not all hosts are that dispassionate. Another local Airbnb host, who asked that her name not be used to avoid getting in trouble for violating the company’s nondiscrimination policy, says she declined to accept a rental request that looked like it came from a Trump supporter and did accept a request that came from women planning to attend the march. Interest groups, too, are adapting in different ways. The Creative Coalition, a bipartisan advocacy group for the arts, has been holding inaugural balls for the past 20 years that typically attract top talent and celebrities. Coalition CEO Robin Bronk says interest in the ball remains strong and she expects it to feature top names once again. “It’s an event that hopefully will be part of the healing of the nation,” Bronk says. Plus, she adds, “I would venture to say a lot of business gets done at our ball.” The Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights organization that threw an “equality ball” eight years ago, this year is focused on making sure its members get involved in demonstrations, marches and other events on inauguration weekend and throughout the year, says spokeswoman Sarah McBride. The Latino Victory Project, which four years ago helped mount a huge Kennedy Center gala featuring Eva Longoria, George Lopez and other top Latino entertainers, this time is putting together events that put the Trump administration on notice that Latinos will fight “his hateful rhetoric and policies,” says project president Cristobal Alex. “I wouldn’t call it a party,” Alex said of this year’s yet-to-be-announced events. “What I would call it is a moment to learn” from the last election. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
