Posted on 09/07/2021 4:03:43 PM PDT by RandFan
Members of Congress and law enforcement are bracing for potential security threats on Sept. 18 when a “Justice for J6” rally is planned to support the more than 570 people charged with crimes related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
The Capitol Police are expected to present their security plan to the Capitol Police Board this week, according to a congressional source, while the Metropolitan Police Department is also expected to ramp up its presence for the planned rally near the Capitol’s west front.
The group organizing the rally, Look Ahead America, is led by Matt Braynard, who served as a campaign staffer for former President Trump. About 300 to 500 attendees are expected at the event, including members of far-right extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, according to multiple reports.
Several members of those two groups have been charged with criminal offenses related to the Jan. 6 insurrection, when hundreds of people invaded the Capitol, forced the evacuation of Congress and delayed the counting of the Electoral College vote. More than 140 police officers were injured in the riot, which led to five deaths.
It's not yet clear if any members of Congress will be in attendance, but some prominent far-right House Republicans have offered support and sympathy to people facing charges for their actions on Jan. 6. Some have also cast Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot by a Capitol Police officer as she came close to breaching the House chamber, as a martyr.
GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Louie Gohmert (Texas) and Paul Gosar (Ariz.) held a July 27 news conference outside the Justice Department to protest the treatment of people arrested in connection to Jan. 6. The event, which was interrupted by counterprotestors, took place the same day a House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack heard testimony from officers on the physical and mental abuse they took that day.
Greene, Gaetz and Gohmert also tried to visit the D.C. Department of Corrections to personally view the Jan. 6 defendants’ conditions but were barred from entry.
Late last month, Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) described the defendants currently in law enforcement custody as “political hostages” and “political prisoners” who are being detained to deter future protests.
“The big problem is we don't actually know where all the political prisoners are,” Cawthorn said. “And so, if we were to actually be able to go and try and bust them out — and let me tell you, the reason why they're taking these political prisoners is because they're trying to make an example, because they don't want to see the mass protests going on in Washington.”
A spokesman for Cawthorn later sought to clarify that he only “wants due process for the prisoners” and “was not advocating for any form of illegal action, only that they receive full due process.”
Some of this rhetoric, and the promotion of the conspiracy that President Biden wasn’t legitimately elected, has infuriated other lawmakers — including some Republicans — still shaken by the events of Jan. 6.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), one of the most outspoken critics of Republicans who have backed Trump’s false claims about the election, harshly criticized plans for the Sept. 18 event.
“Let's talk about what this rally celebrates. It celebrates cop killers,” he said in an interview with CNN. “And you know what, this is America. They can peacefully assemble. They can celebrate whatever they want.”
Swalwell also said Capitol Police, who have come under intense criticism for their preparations for Jan. 6, must be ready for Sept. 18.
“We just have to make sure that if they are ready to get violent, that we're ready again in a better way than on Jan. 6 to defend the Capitol,” Swalwell said.
While the Sept. 18 rally is expected to be smaller than what occurred on Jan. 6, experts are encouraging security planners to take it seriously.
“This is coming eight months after” Jan. 6, said Brian Levin, a criminal justice professor and director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.
“It’s a different scenario, but we’re getting a much more isolated and also angry and conspiratorial sliver that is not only labeling an election as stolen but is also labeling violent criminal defendants as political prisoners, and that's another marker of extremism.”
Congress is not scheduled to be in session on Sept. 18, which falls on a Saturday, but the Capitol Hill community has been on edge since Jan. 6.
In April, a man rammed his car into a security barricade, killing one Capitol Police officer and injuring another, although the suspect died before a clear motive was established.
And last month, a man drove his truck onto the sidewalk in front of the Library of Congress across the street from the Capitol and claimed he had a bomb. During the tense five-hour standoff, the suspect posted a video to Facebook where he railed against Biden and claimed that “the revolution is on.”
The Capitol Police declined to comment Tuesday on any specific security plans for Sept. 18. But Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said the department is “closely monitoring” the event and expressed confidence that “the work we are doing now will make sure our officers have what they need to keep everyone safe.”
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is also planning an “increased presence around the city” where demonstrations will take place on Sept. 18 and may close off some streets, a spokesperson said.
Levin said the Capitol Police should be focused on developing a plan that includes securing the perimeter around the Capitol, ideally maintaining some distance between protesters and the building, and avoiding missteps on Jan. 6 by ensuring communication between commanders and officers as well as between the outside entities brought in to help.
“I think here the risk is not doing anything. You need responsive backup from across agencies — you can't just have MPD. You have to have multiple mutual aid going on, planning across multiple agencies, and I think you’re going to have that now,” he said.
Braynard has urged attendees to “be respectful and kind to all law enforcement officers,” and he discouraged anyone from bringing signs or clothing related to a specific political candidate or the election’s legitimacy
“I invite you to make your own homemade signs demanding justice for these political prisoners, demanding justice for Ashli Babbitt. But we are focused like a laser on this and only this cause on this date at that rally,” Braynard said in a video posted to the event’s website.
Messages on the Proud Boys' Telegram account have discouraged members from going to the rally, with one stating that “we will not be attending this guaranteed disaster.”
Answer the question I asked.
(And look up Cobstitutionnal Crisis).
And stop supporting Biden and the Democrats, which is all you’re doing.
1. Not until you answer my questions.
2. In the past, we have had illegitimately elected Presidents. JFK for example. The manner of election is distinct and separate from the electoral college meeting and the person being sworn in.
3. Just because others won’t participate in your fantasy doesn’t mean they support Xiden.
1. Not until you answer my questions
—
Look, you are a joke.
First you deny what I factually (and tactfully) relayed about Cawfield.
Then you acknowledge the truth of what I said, and argue for what you first denied.
And then you won’t even answer a simple question.
All you want to do is make arguments for why Biden is a legitimate President.
You can have your Biden.
He is not legitimate, he was not elected.
And if you ever grow a spine you can answer the question.
Cawfield denied the election was fraudulent, do you agree with Cawfield that the election was not fraudulent and Biden was legitimately elected?
1. Not until you answer my questions.
2. In the past, we have had illegitimately elected Presidents. JFK for example. The manner of election is distinct and separate from the electoral college meeting and the person being sworn in.
3. Just because others won’t participate in your fantasy doesn’t mean they support Xiden.
4. Don’t project your own shortcomings on to others.
It seems important to you to try to convince people that Biden is a legitimate president.
You seem to have difficulty reading in addition to being delusional.
If you actually were capable of processing written language, you would see that there is a difference between someone being illegitimately elected and actually holding the office.
JFK was never legitimately elected, but he was the President.
See if your small mind can process what that means for Xiden.
Glows in the dark.
Stay away.
Very important to you that Biden is president.
Why?
You can’t even say there was election fraud.
Why not?
You probably think if someone steals your car and registers it in his name he therefore owns your car.
And, what I said about Cawfield was 100% true and he avers the election was not fraudulent.
Cawfield says Biden was legitimately elected.
Why?
You can’t even say there was election fraud.
Why not?
You probably think if someone steals your car and registers it in his name he therefore owns your car.
This right here is why we keep losing folks. Rather than dealing with reality, too many of us like to play pretend in lizard people world or invoke pathetic psychological coping mechanisms rather than pivoting to fight the next battle. I guess it’s easier for some to retreat into their shells instead of joining their betters on the battlefield.
Now you’re talking about lizard people?
Why is it so important for you to tout Biden?
Do you agree with Cawfield that the election was not fraudulent?
Perhaps she is a Biden fan and a Biden voter. You considered that?
I’ve already answered your questions. It’s patently obvious that you are incapable of processing the written language or of being grounded in reality.
Our conversation is over.
Perhaps you are just as stupid as your fellow clown?
I’ve long maintained that there was mail in vote fraud. I just don’t but the Qtard conspiracies involving lizard people in machines, secret delta force raids in Germany and Italian satellites.
JFK committed fraud to find his way into the White House just like Xiden.
However, recognizing fraud occurred doesn’t negate the fact that the electoral college met and that a new President was sworn in. There is a distinction between being fraudulently elected and holding the office.
It’s sheer lunacy to pretend that JFK was never a president.
It’s also lunacy to attack anyone who doesn’t want to play pretend with you. That’s a lot like what trannies and queers do.
I’m tired of idiots playing the “IZ notta Votingz no Moarh!” game and continually attacking people who don’t buy into their pet conspiracies. These people are the sole reason we don’t have GOP control of the Senate right now.
Well, everyone can’t be as smart as you. So, are or are you not a Biden voter and supporter? It is a yes or no answerable question.
I have never voted for any Democrat, for any office, in my lifetime. That includes Xiden.
Frankly, I don’t care what you think that you are entitled to.
Good answer. Have a nice day. And are you always this cheerful and pleasant? It was nice speaking with you.
You only insult and avoid the topic.
Then run away.
Typical.
So we will review.
You insist Biden is duly elected with no election fraud, as Cawfield also stated. That’s your answer.
Ok then.
You only insult and avoid the topic. Then run away. Typical. So we will review. You insist Biden is duly elected with no election fraud, as Cawfield also stated. That’s your answer. Ok then.
These qtard losers can’t read nor can they process reality. They do nothing but lie and attack people who won’t play pretend with them. To convert “I’ve long maintained that there was mail in vote fraud” into “there was no fraud” requires mental gymnastics and stupidity that would make piglosi blush. Those statements are the exact opposite.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.