January 25 According to the Associated Press on the 25th, as the second impeachment trial of former U.S. President Trump is about to begin, many members of the U.S. Congress have been physically threatened, forcing congressional police and federal agencies to launch investigations.
The report quoted an unnamed government official as saying that these threats even included attacking or killing members of Congress outside the Capitol during the impeachment trial.
Concerns over these threats and previous congressional riots, Congressional police and other federal law enforcement agencies allegedly insisted that thousands of National Guard soldiers stay in Washington to carry out security during the impeachment trial in the Senate.
The Associated Press notes that the Capitol riots that took place in early January have put Washington in an unprecedented state of lockdown during Biden’s inauguration.
Although there were no security problems in the inauguration, these threats against parliamentarians proved that there was still a risk.
The official said that the threat currently tracked by law enforcement agencies is similar to that on the eve of the inauguration ceremony, and the specificity and credibility of the information vary, mainly appearing on the Internet and discussion groups.
Some security officials are already drafting plans to prepare for the return of armed demonstrators to Washington during impeachment trials.
The National Guard said that as of the 24th local time, fewer than 20,000 National Guard soldiers were still in Washington, and 7,000 people would remain in the next few weeks and gradually reduce to 5,000.
