Acting US Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said on Tuesday that security will be stepped up from coast to coast on Wednesday as President-elect Joe Biden gets sworn into office.
Rosen said that efforts are underway to prevent a repeat of what happened on Jan. 6, when a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol and disrupted the counting of the Electoral College votes. Five people died amid the siege of the Capitol, including one Capitol police officer.
“The Department of Justice is committed, together with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, to ensuring a safe and peaceful Inauguration – one that reflects our Nation’s enduring highest values,” Rosen said in a statement.
This law enforcement presence can be seen all across the US, according to Rosen.
“Rest assured that every level of law enforcement and the National Guard are working around the clock here in Washington, D.C., to provide safety and security for Inauguration Day, and that federal, state, and local law enforcement all around the country are doing the same in our state capitols and government buildings across all fifty states,” Rosen said.
A number of state capitol buildings across the United States are set to close on Wednesday due to safety concerns.
The Dayton Daily News reported that a group of militia members in Ohio who were allegedly involved in plotting the surge into the US Capitol were also plotting an attack at the Ohio Statehouse.
Over the weekend, a number of state capitols had increased police and military presence amid warnings from the FBI and social media companies that unrest could ensue across the US. Largely, those fears were assuaged when only small crowds gathered outside capitol buildings. The less than expected unrest over the weekend has not entire eased fears for what could happen on Wednesday.
"We certainly will keep that posture in place through the inauguration ...maybe some folks got that message and that some folks decided not to come not to show up,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told WCCO-TV.
