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Armed group ‘planning huge uprising’ in DC if Trump removed by 25th amendment, according to report

Protests also being planned at all 50 state capitols and US Capitol

Graeme Massie
@graemekmassie
Tuesday 12 January 2021 09:55 GMT
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DC mayor calls for increased security surrounding inauguration
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The FBI believes an armed group is planning a “huge uprising” in Washington DC if Donald Trump is removed by the 25th amendment, according to a report.

Investigators have been told that if "Congress attempts to remove Potus via the 25th Amendment a huge uprising will occur," says an FBI daily bulletin obtained by ABC News.

The FBI has also received information that pro-Trump extremists are calling for the “storming” of state, federal and local government buildings and courthouses if the president is removed before Joe Biden’s inauguration.

"Armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitols from 16 January through at least 20 January, and at the US Capitol from 17 January through 20 January," the bulletin reportedly states.

The news came as the US House of Representatives introduced articles of impeachment against Donald Trump following a pro-Trump insurrection at the Capitol on 6 January.

House Republicans blocked a measure calling on Mike Pence and the Trump cabinet to remove the president by invoking the 25th Amendment, delaying consideration until Tuesday.

House majority leader Steny Hoyer says that the House could vote on the impeachment articles as early as Wednesday, and immediately send them to the Senate, reports CNN.

The National Parks Service (NPS) said it has suspended tours of the Washington Monument until 24 January after receiving “credible threats” following last week’s riot.

The NPS says that the groups behind the mayhem have continued to threaten DC and the set-up for Mr Biden’s 20 January inauguration ceremony.

“The temporary closures are not of nature, magnitude or duration that will result in a 'significant alteration in the public use pattern,'” said  Jeffrey P Reinbold, superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, in a statement.

“The closures will not adversely affect the park’s natural aesthetic or cultural values.”

A total of 6,200 National Guard Troops from six states were sent to DC following the riot, with many in place around the Capitol complex on Monday.

And the day after the violence a “non-scalable” 7ft fence was installed and will remain in place until after the inauguration.

The military presence will increase to 10,000 National Guard troops by Saturday, according to senior military officials.

And that number could expand to around 15,000 troops by inauguration day according to General Daniel Hokanson, the chief of the National Guard Bureau.

The final number of troops will be decided by the support needs of federal agencies, he said.

National Guard troops will bring their weapons to Washington DC and will carry them only after discussions with the FBI, local police and other federal agencies.

“Obviously, we’re very concerned that we want our individuals to have the right to self-defense,” he said during a media conference call.

“And so, that will be an ongoing conversation, and if the senior leadership determines that that’s the right posture to be in, then that is something that we will do.”

Federal and local authorities have faced severe criticism that they were underprepared for the violence that played out, despite much of the planning taking place publicly online.

Washington DC’s mayor Muriel Bowser has urged Americans to avoid the city during the inauguration amid fears of more violence.

“If I'm scared of anything, it's for our democracy, because we have very extreme factions in our country that are armed and dangerous,” said Ms Bowser at a Monday press conference.

The mayor said she has asked Mr Trump and acting homeland security secretary Chad Wolf to declare a pre-disaster declaration for her city to help them get prepared.

The request would release funding to pay for the city’s additional security efforts.

"Our goals right now are to encourage Americans to participate virtually and to protect the District of Columbia from a repeat of the violent insurrection experienced at the Capitol and its grounds on 6 January," said Ms Bowser.

She has also requested the White House cancels all public gathering permits issued until 24 January.

The latest reports of armed threats come after Twitter, which banned Mr Trump from its platform last week, cited online talk of a “secondary attack on the US Capitol and state capitol buildings on 17 January, 2021".

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