DC Mayor Muriel Bowser's letter to acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf is shown in full above
Deputy DHS Secretary Ken Cuccinelli on Thursday insisted that the previous day's Capitol breach would be a 'one-time event' and assured that Inauguration Day will be kept under control.
'You're going to see immediate improvement, fully aggressive posture by the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice as well, because we accept violence from no one,' Cuccinelli told Fox News. The DHS has faced criticism for failing to step in when Capitol Police requested back-up during last week's insurrection.
Cuccinelli suggested the agency didn't get enough notice, saying that by the time the request came in, 'it was just too close to when everything began to heat up'. But a former top DHS official dismissed that assertion, arguing that authorities were aware of the possibility of violence well in advance.
'Law enforcement was ill-prepared for an event the entire country knew was coming, and one that POTUS had been signaling for weeks,' Brian Harrell, former DHS assistant secretary for infrastructure protection, told CNN, referencing the president.
'The normal "layers of security", with each inner layer being tougher to breach, was nearly non-existent. It's shocking, that in a post 9/11 world, we witnessed the "people's house" be breached and ransacked with ease', Harrell said.
Harrell said he expects much more substantial security will be implemented prior to the inauguration. He said the biggest threats to the event will be an active shooter scenario, vehicle ramming and the deliberate targeting of critical infrastructure.
Deputy DHS Secretary Ken Cuccinelli on Thursday insisted that the previous day's Capitol breach would be a 'one time event' and assured that Inauguration Day will be kept under control. Pictured: National Guardsmen gather on Monday
Members of the New York National Guard organize on the East Front of the US Capitol on Monday morning
The National Guardsmen added masks to their usual uniforms in light of the coronavirus pandemic
Images of Trump supporters clambering up the walls of the Capitol - supposedly one of the most secure buildings in the United States - and smashing their way in with little resistance shocked the world on Wednesday.
Five people, including one Capitol Police officer and four protesters, died as a result of the chaos. A Capitol Police officer also reportedly killed himself three days after the melee. More than 80 insurgents have already been arrested and at least 25 are facing domestic terrorism charges as the FBI continues searching for others.
DC Acting US Attorney Michael Sherwin said in the Sunday interview with NPR that potentially 'thousands' of people could have information on alleged crimes committed during the Capitol break-in.
'I don't think there's any similar case in DOJ history that compares to that', he said.
Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund and the Sergeants-at-Arms of both the House and Senate, announced their resignations on Thursday, at the request of congressional leaders.
Meanwhile, as Inauguration Day approaches, fears are mounting that the attack may have emboldened extremists to continue their campaign to block Biden's path to the White House, despite the fact that he won the election.
In the days since the Capitol riots, calls for future armed protests have only grown among far-right circles, according to Twitter, which has monitored the chatter on its service.
A former DHS official warned that the Capitol siege could serve as a 'rallying cry' for Trump supporters.
'We could start to see a lot of lives lost because of the moment that occurred on Wednesday, so very, very concerned about the cascading effects,' the official told CNN. 'It's a very concerning moment.'
Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the Anti-Defamation League, expressed similar concerns, saying that far-right extremists and white supremacists were emboldened by their perceived success last week.
'We fully expect that this violence could actually get worse before it gets better,' Greenblatt said.
Hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6 in a bid to block the certification of Joe Biden's victory
The protesters used flag poles and other objects to break doors and windows around the Capitol building
Members of Congress are seen running for cover as protesters attempted to enter the House Chamber
Shortly before 2pm, the rioters descended on Capitol Hill while lawmakers were inside certifying the vote. Over the next two hours, the violence escalated. Some broke into politicians' offices, tauntingly sat at their desks and left threatening notes. One of the protesters was shot dead by cops (bottom right)
Wednesday's unrest reverberated around the US as smaller protests were staged outside several state capitols. Local officials across the US fear that Inauguration Day could bring further violence to their communities as well.
Washington State Gov Jay Inslee on Friday announced that he was mobilizing up to 750 National Guardsmen to secure the state's capitol in Olympia at the start of the new legislative session on Monday.
'The actions we saw in both Washington, DC, and Olympia earlier this week were completely unacceptable and will not be repeated in our state again,' Inslee, a Democrat, said in a statement, referring to the dozens of people who occupied the state Capitol and breached the grounds of the governor's mansion last Wednesday.
'In light of the most recent insurrection activity, the state cannot tolerate any actions that could result in harm, mayhem or interruption of function of democratic institutions,' he said.
In New Jersey, state homeland security officials are monitoring plans for protests on January 12 and 20, an official with knowledge of the situation told CNN.
'Some of the online rhetoric has called for protests at all 50 capitals plus DC,' the official said. 'FBI in particular has been continuing to put our threat assessments and we are at the state level as well.'