Republicans Accused of Giving Capitol Tours to Rioters – The New York Times

Heres what you need to know:The siege of the Capitol on Jan. 6.At least five people died during the attack and accompanying protests.Credit...Anna Moneymaker for The New York Times

One week after an angry mob stormed the Capitol, lawmakers called for new investigations and federal authorities fanned out across the country, taking into custody several more suspects, including two police officers from Virginia and a firefighter from Florida.

The flurry of arrests and appeals for inquiry came as the House brought a historic second impeachment charge against President Trump and federal law enforcement officials continued to examine whether the assault on the Capitol included coordinated efforts by small groups of extremists and was not merely a mass protest that spiraled out of control. All of this took place as official Washington remained in a defensive crouch, with much of the city surrounded by protective fencing and armed troops camped inside the Capitol complex.

Led by Representative Mikie Sherrill, a New Jersey Democrat and former Navy pilot, more than 30 lawmakers called on Wednesday for an investigation into visitors access to the Capitol on the day before the riot. In a letter to the acting House and Senate sergeants-at-arms and the U.S. Capitol Police, the lawmakers demanded answers about what they described as an extremely high number of outside groups let into the Capitol on Jan. 5 at a time when most tours were restricted because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Separately, the inspector generals office of the Capitol Police said it was opening a potentially wide-ranging inquiry into security breaches connected to the siege. The Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan federal watchdog agency, signaled that it would look into what role, if any, members of Congress may have played in inciting the mob of Trump supporters who breached metal barricades and shattered windows on Jan. 6, seeking to overturn the results of the election.

Seeking to keep their local counterparts informed, Christopher A. Wray, the director of the F.B.I., and Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, a senior official at the Homeland Security Department, briefed more than 5,000 law enforcement officials on Wednesday about potential threats across the country. They stressed in particular that violence could erupt this weekend at all 50 state capitol buildings around the country.

The federal investigation an inquiry of widening scope that has already ensnared more than 70 people continued apace on Wednesday as charges of disorderly conduct and entering a restricted space were filed against Officer Jacob Fracker and Sgt. Thomas Robertson, two members of the Rocky Mount Police Department in Virginia who attended the riot while off-duty.

According to a criminal complaint, the two men broke into the Capitol last week and posed for a photograph underneath a statue of John Stark, a Revolutionary War general, posting it on a social media. The complaint mentioned a subsequent post by Sergeant Robertson who wrote that the photo showed 2 men willing to actually put skin in the game and stand up for their rights.

Federal agents made more arrests on Wednesday in New York, Maryland, Texas and Florida, among them a firefighter from the town of Sanford, near Orlando.

As more people are charged in connection with the attack, it has become clear that many of those who went to Washington last week were not only angry but heavily armed and, in some cases, dangerous. That point was driven home by court papers filed on Wednesday in the case of Cleveland G. Meredith Jr., who wrote in a text message that he wanted to put a bullet in the noggin of Speaker Nancy Pelosi on live TV, prosecutors said.

This mood of outrage found an echo in the tumultuous congressional debate on impeachment, which stretched throughout the day.

Lawmakers could face heavy fines if they refuse to abide by the Houses new security protocols, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday, after a number of Republicans set off newly installed metal detectors outside the House chamber and then walked defiantly onto the floor.

Ms. Pelosi said that when the House returns to session on Jan. 21, it will vote on a rule change that would fine lawmakers who disregard the security screening $5,000 for the first offense and $10,000 for the second offense. The fines, she said, would be deducted directly from members salaries.

Many House Republicans have disrespected our heroes by verbally abusing them and refusing to adhere to basic precautions keeping members of our congressional community, including the Capitol Police, safe, Ms. Pelosi, Democrat of California, said in a statement. It is tragic that this step is necessary, but the chamber of the Peoples House must and will be safe.

Ms. Pelosis announcement came after a number of Republican lawmakers vehemently objected to the metal detectors, which were installed after a violent mob spurred on by President Trump stormed into the Capitol last week, causing lawmakers to flee for their safety.

At least one Republican, Representative Chip Roy of Texas, simply walked around the metal detectors, which are monitored by Capitol Police officers.

The metal detector policy for the House floor is unnecessary, unconstitutional, and endangers members, Mr. Roy said in a statement on Tuesday. I did not comply tonight. I will not comply in the future.

Representative Lauren Boebert, a freshman Republican from Colorado, caused a spectacle on Wednesday by pushing her way through the metal detectors and ignoring the police officers who asked her to stop so they could check her with a hand-held wand.

Ms. Boebert, who boasts of carrying a Glock handgun, argued that she was legally permitted to carry a firearm in Washington and within the Capitol complex.

Metal detectors outside of the House would not have stopped the violence we saw last week its just another political stunt by Speaker Pelosi, Ms. Boebert wrote on Twitter.

Representative Don Beyer, Democrat of Virginia, said he had seen another Republican, Representative Van Taylor of Texas, refuse to walk through the metal detectors.

Rep. Van Taylor is in front of me as Im trying to go in to vote, refusing to pass through a metal detector and arguing with U.S. Capitol Police officers about it, Mr. Beyer wrote on Twitter.

In a memo, the acting sergeant-at-arms in the House said all people, including lawmakers, were required to undergo security screening when entering the House chamber to provide a safe and secure environment in which to conduct legislative business.

Failure to comply, the memo warned, could result in denial of access to the Chamber. The memo reminded House members that firearms are restricted to a members office.

The deadly breach at the Capitol last week will be a significant driver of violence for armed militia groups and racist extremists who are targeting the presidential inauguration next week, according to a joint intelligence bulletin issued by federal authorities.

The boogaloo, a movement that seeks to start a second civil war, and extremists aiming to trigger a race war may exploit the aftermath of the Capitol breach by conducting attacks to destabilize and force a climactic conflict in the United States, according to the bulletin issued by the National Counterterrorism Center and the Justice and Homeland Security Departments, which was disseminated widely to law enforcement agencies across the country.

The bulletin, obtained by The New York Times, is labeled Domestic Violent Extremists Emboldened in Aftermath of Capitol Breach, Elevated Domestic Terrorism Threat of Violence Likely Amid Political Transitions and Beyond. Antigovernment militias and racists extremists very likely pose the greatest domestic terrorism threats in 2021, the agencies said.

The federal officials wrote that extremist groups have viewed the breach of the Capitol as a success and have been galvanized by the death of Ashli Babbitt, a QAnon follower who was shot by the police as she tried to enter the heavily protected Speakers Lobby, just outside the House chamber. The extremists could perceive that death as an act of martyrdom, according to the bulletin.

The extremists violent online rhetoric toward the presidential inauguration has increased, according to the bulletin, with some calling for justice for Ms. Babbitts death.

The Capitol breach, as well as conspiracy theories from QAnon, will likely inspire such extremists to engage in more sporadic, lone-actor or small-cell violence against common violent extremist targets, including racial, ethnic, or religious minorities and institutions, law enforcement, and government officials and buildings, according to the bulletin, dated January 13.

The federal officials also wrote that the shared false narrative of a stolen election, the false claim perpetuated by President Trump, may lead some individuals to adopt the belief that there is no political solution to address their grievances and violent action is necessary.

The Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C., and subsequent breach of the Capitol also offered an opportunity for militia members and extremists from different groups to meet, which could increase the extremists willingness, capability, and motivation to attack and undermine a government they view as illegitimate.

The Secret Service issued a separate bulletin to law enforcement officials, dated Jan. 11, warning of armed groups, specifically the boogaloo, appearing in Washington before and after the inauguration. That warning was reported earlier by the Daily Beast.

Federal officials warned police chiefs in major cities during a call on Wednesday to be on high alert and generous with intelligence as police departments around the country ramped up preparations for the week leading into the inauguration.

In a roughly 45-minute call, Christopher Wray, the F.B.I. director, and Kenneth Cuccinelli, the acting director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, expressed great concern about the potential for extremist violence, according to participants. Failing to identify any specific threats, the officials called on law enforcement officers across the country to watch for signs of trouble.

Mr. Wray said that we need to continue to overshare intelligence, Chief Jorge Colina of the Miami Police Department said in an interview. So they dont want for us to assume anything that they already know anything that we come across to please forward it.

The officials said they would be issuing a national threat bulletin urging all Americans to be cautious in the coming days, according to a police chief who listened to the call but requested anonymity because they were asked not to share details of the call.

With the U.S. Capitol fortified by an intensive security operation, the officials seemed concerned about potential attacks on state capitols, federal buildings, the homes of congressional members and businesses, the chief said.

Federal officials said they were closely monitoring extremist chatter online and urged the chiefs to be mindful of potential lone-wolf actors and local armed groups, the chief said.

Theyre very, very worried about these, what they referred to as domestic violent extremists, embedding themselves in other protests, the chief said. Christopher Wray seemed particularly concerned about what was sort of the disregard these folks have for democratic government. The focus was not to go after people engaged in peaceful protest. There were others embedded in that who were engaged in violence and criminal behavior.

transcript

transcript

One week ago, our nation collectively watched in horror as a violent mob stormed the Capitol grounds, broke down crowd-control barriers, assaulted Capitol Police officers and overran the Capitol complex. Lives were lost. The storming of the Capitol was an intolerable, shocking and tragic episode in our nations history. Im grateful, however, that order was restored at the Capitol the same day, and the Congress was able to fulfill its duties. Under the U.S. Constitution. More than 70 individuals have been criminally charged. Weve opened more than 170 investigations. The F.B.I. has gathered more than 100,000 digital tips from the public. And there is a lot more to come. The wrongdoers will be held responsible. As we look ahead, we are also aware of other planned protests in and around the upcoming inauguration. The Department of Justice fully supports and will protect the exercise of constitutional rights. But I want to send a clear message to anyone contemplating violence, threats of violence or other criminal conduct. We will have no tolerance whatsoever for any attempts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 20 that our Constitution calls for. We will have no tolerance for any attempts to forcefully occupy government buildings. There will be no excuse for violence, vandalism or any other form of lawlessness. To the American public, I ask that if you are aware of any criminal activity or violent acts being planned, please share what you know with law enforcement or the F.B.I.

The acting attorney general, Jeffrey A. Rosen, said in a video released overnight that violence, threats of violence and other criminal behavior would not be tolerated and that the peaceful transition of power to the Biden administration would proceed, in his first public appearance since the attack on the Capitol a week earlier.

Mr. Rosen asked the public to share information about the attack with the F.B.I. and vowed to hold the attackers accountable for what he called an intolerable, shocking and tragic episode in our nations history.

He did not address the preparation of law enforcement leading up to the attack, nor did he provide new details about its response after rioters breached the Capitol.

Mr. Rosen has kept a conspicuously low profile in the days after the attack, issuing only written statements and the prerecorded video statement, published around midnight. Similarly, the F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, has not held news briefings on the attack.

The public faces of the Justice Department response have been the acting U.S. attorney in Washington, Michael R. Sherwin, and the assistant director of the F.B.I.s Washington field office, Steven DAntuono, who gave a news conference on Tuesday and have held phone briefings with reporters.

Airbnb, one of the biggest players in the short-term rental market, will cancel all reservations made in the Washington area next week and block new rentals, the company announced in a statement on Wednesday.

The decision came after the police and elected officials warned Americans not to travel to Washington for the inauguration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr., citing the risk of the spread of the coronavirus and the threat of another attack similar to last weeks violent siege at the Capitol.

Law enforcement authorities have warned of threats of violence ahead of the inauguration on Jan. 20, and National Guard troops have flooded Washington in response. On Monday, the leaders of the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland issued a joint statement telling potential visitors not to travel to the area, citing both the coronavirus pandemic and the riot.

Already, 16 groups some of them armed and most of them supporters of President Trump have registered to stage protests in Washington, though Mayor Muriel Bowser has asked federal officials to cancel any public gathering permits issued.

This week, Airbnb said it would review reservations in the Washington area and cancel those it determined were made by members associated with extremist or hate groups. On Wednesday, it said it would take the broader step of canceling all reservations in response to pleas for people not to attend.

Ms. Bowser and the governors of Virginia and Maryland have been clear that visitors should not travel to the D.C. metro area for the Inauguration, the company said in a statement. Additionally, we are aware of reports emerging yesterday afternoon regarding armed militias and known hate groups that are attempting to travel and disrupt the inauguration.

Airbnb said it would refund guests for their reservations and reimburse hosts at its own expense.

The company declined to say how many reservations would be canceled, the dates the cancellation policy would be in effect or how far from Washington its policy would apply.

But two Airbnb hosts who contacted the company about the status of existing reservations were told by customer service representatives that Airbnb was canceling reservations that started on or after Jan. 15 and ended by Jan. 21, according to screenshots provided to The New York Times.

Airbnb also said it had banned numerous individuals associated with known hate groups or otherwise involved with the mob at the Capitol. It declined to provide more details.

A week after the violent siege at the U.S. Capitol and a week ahead of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.s inauguration, officials are bracing for uncertainty and preparing for the potential of violence in the days ahead.

On Tuesday night, Defense Department officials said that the Army secretary, Ryan McCarthy, had decided to arm National Guard members who will be deployed to protect the Capitol building complex as Mr. Biden is sworn into office.

Chief Robert J. Contee III of the Metropolitan Police Department said on Wednesday that he expected more than 20,000 members of the National Guard in the Washington metropolitan area on Inauguration Day. It remains unclear how many of the Guard members will carry weapons.

The number of troops may ultimately climb beyond 20,000; it has been rapidly increasing in recent days as intelligence officials monitoring pro-Trump groups online have grown increasingly worried that militant, far-right organizations have plans for violent protests in Washington.

The decision to arm the Guard members illuminates the gnawing uncertainty of the past week. Members of Congress expressed worry about their return to the Capitol after they were briefed on several active threats against them, and the F.B.I. has warned of possible violence at all 50 state capitol buildings.

Defense Department officials were meeting with Washington authorities on Wednesday to work on plans to try to ensure there is not a repeat of last weeks violent breach. The scope of the protests and the violence of the mob took law enforcement by surprise.

As federal officials worked to meet the security threat in Washington, the number of people who have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the assault on the Capitol continued to climb.

Michael Sherwin, the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said at a news conference on Tuesday that he expected hundreds of people would eventually be charged with crimes ranging from trespassing to seditious conspiracy and murder. He called the investigation into the attack on the Capitol unmatched in scope.

Pentagon officials said they were deeply worried about Inauguration Day next week. About 16 groups have registered to stage protests, and officials said that law enforcement agencies were preparing for the possibility of armed conflict.

For President Trump, the past week has included a flurry of rebukes from businesses and once-loyal politicians. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who stood by the president during lesser controversies, told his associates that he believed Mr. Trump had committed impeachable offenses. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nations largest business lobbying group, also admonished the presidents conduct.

The House impeached Mr. Trump, for the second time, on Wednesday with 10 Republicans breaking with the president.

A Queens man who told federal agents he wanted to join the far-right Proud Boys group was charged with a weapons offense on Wednesday after messages he posted on social media around the time of the Capitol riot raised alarms, according to prosecutors and court documents.

The man, Eduard Florea, had been detained late Tuesday after a search of his home turned up an arsenal of over 1,000 rounds of rifle ammunition, two dozen shotgun rounds, 75 military-style combat knives, two hatchets and two swords, prosecutors said. No gun was found.

The arrest of Mr. Florea, a 40-year-old software engineer, came amid an intensifying nationwide manhunt for those who broke into the U.S. Capitol last week as part of a violent rampage by supporters of President Trump who wanted to overturn the election results.

Though Mr. Florea was not one of the numerous people being pursued for participating in the riot, law enforcement officials considered him menacing enough to arrive in an armored vehicle at his home to arrest him.

Among the comments that caused the authorities concern and prompted the search of his house, the complaint says, was one in which Mr. Florea appeared to threaten the Rev. Raphael Warnock, Democrat of Georgia, just before Mr. Warnock was declared the winner of a U.S. Senate seat.

At around 1 a.m. on Jan. 6, while posting under the name LoneWolfWar in a group thread about Mr. Warnock on the social media website Parler, the complaint says, Mr. Florea wrote that dead men cant pass laws, with an obscenity added for emphasis.

Later that day, also on Parler, Mr. Florea wrote of having three cars of armed patriots in a caravan headed to Washington, the complaint says. As the Capitol riot unfolded, he wrote that the time for peace and civility was over and that here in New York we are target rich.

I will fight so help me god, he added.

At a bail hearing in Federal District Court in Brooklyn that was held remotely, Mr. Floreas lawyer pointed out the F.B.I. had concluded that her client, despite his online bravado, did not have a car and had not gone to Washington.

Nonetheless, the tenor of his social media comments was ominous enough to heighten the authorities interest, especially when matched with his status as a felon, according to prosecutors and the complaint.

Mr. Florea is now charged federally with being a felon in possession of ammunition. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison, prosecutors said.

A man who was photographed wearing a sweatshirt that read Camp Auschwitz while inside the Capitol last week was arrested in Newport News, Va., on Wednesday morning in connection to the Capitol riot, according to two law enforcement officials.

The man, Robert Keith Packer, had been seen on the Capitol grounds in several photographs and his black sweatshirt, with its reference to the Nazi death camp and a skull, had drawn widespread outrage. News outlets had previously identified Mr. Packer based on the accounts of people who knew him.

Mr. Packers sweatshirt also included the phrase Work Brings Freedom, which is a rough translation of, Arbeit macht frei. The German words were welded onto an iron arch that stood over one of the gates of the death camp, where more than 1.1 million people were killed during World War II.

Mr. Packer was among more than 70 people tied to the mayhem who have been charged, according to the top federal prosecutor in Washington, Michael Sherwin, who said that he expected that hundreds would eventually be charged.

Those charged included:

Jacob Fracker and Thomas Robertson, two off-duty police officers in Rocky Mount, Va., who were photographed in the Capitol building making an obscene gesture in front of a statue of John Stark, a military leader in the Revolutionary War, prosecutors said. CNN and the Left are just mad because we actually attacked the government who is the problem and not some random small business, Mr. Robertson was quoted as saying on social media, according to the Justice Department.

Cleveland Grover Meredith Jr., who traveled to Washington with an assault-style rifle and threatened to shoot Speaker Nancy Pelosi and mused about shooting Mayor Muriel E. Bowser of Washington, federal prosecutors said in a court filing on Wednesday. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported in 2018 that Mr. Meredith had erected a billboard that read #QANON and featured a logo for his business, Car Nutz Car Wash.

Klete Keller, an Olympic gold medalist, who was captured on video and identified by former teammates and coaches as a member of the mob that overtook the Capitol on Jan. 6. Mr. Keller, 38, did little to hide his identity, entering the Capitol Rotunda wearing a Team U.S.A. jacket, his face covering pulled down around his neck. Mr. Keller was charged with three federal crimes: obstructing law enforcement, knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

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transcript

The president of the United States directed a mob against the United States Capitol, against the Congress while it was engaging in a constitutional, lawful Electoral College vote count. In light of this criminal act, the city of New York has determined that it is within our power to terminate all contracts with the Trump Organization. So we will no longer be doing any business at all. By the contract language, we have the right to terminate contracts, obviously, if a criminal act has been committed and a criminal act has been committed. So goodbye to the Trump Organization. Were not doing any business with you. By the way, a lot of other people are not doing any business with you any longer. One of the contracts Trump Organization has had up to now is for a golf course in the Bronx, and in that contract, obligated to have championship golf tournaments there. Well, guess what? The P.G.A. just said they wont allow any of their tournaments at Trump Organization golf courses. This criminal act has led a lot of companies, a lot of people to determine that things need to be different, that we cannot accept a status quo where a criminal gets away with this. So we are acting. I want to emphasize that were working immediately to find new vendors to take over these facilities. So we can continue to provide service to their customers. But its just really clear this president has committed an unlawful act. He has disgraced himself. He will no longer profit from his relationship with New York City. We will not allow it.

New York City is terminating its contracts with the Trump Organization because of the mob riot at the U.S. Capitol, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday.

The contracts are for two ice-skating rinks at Central Park, the Central Park Carousel and the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, a city-owned golf course in the Bronx.

Though Mr. de Blasios administration has looked at the issue several times since 2015, the mayor said that the city was ending the contracts because President Trump had incited violence.

Inciting an insurrection against the U.S. government clearly constitutes criminal activity, Mr. de Blasio said in an interview on MSNBC. The City of New York will no longer have anything to do with the Trump Organization.

While the city has considered canceling the Trump Organizations contracts before, Mr. de Blasio said the violence in Washington qualified as criminal activity under which New York City had the right to sever ties with a company.

Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat with roughly a year left in office, said he expected the Trump Organization to challenge the citys decision in court.

Were on strong legal ground, the mayor said.

Google said it would not allow political ads on its platforms until after Inauguration Day because of last weeks violent uprising at the Capitol.

In a letter to advertisers on Wednesday, the company said the suspension covered any ads that referred to candidates, the election or its outcome, the upcoming presidential inauguration, the impeachment process, the Capitol riots, or planned protests about any of these subjects. There will not be exceptions for news or merchandise advertisers.

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Republicans Accused of Giving Capitol Tours to Rioters - The New York Times