Democrats told bulletproof vests are ‘reimbursable expenses’ during House briefing on security threats

Lawmakers say they lack security measures necessary to prevent another deadly pro-Trump mob

Democratic lawmakers have been informed that the purchasing of bulletproof vests was a “reimbursable expense” during a House briefing on security threats following the deadly pro-Trump mob attacks on the Capitol last week.

The reminder came amid reports of further plans for demonstrations at state Capitol buildings and across Washington D.C. after Congress was attacked on Wednesday while convening to certify the 2020 presidential elections.

Just before the deadly mob, which left at least 14 police officers injured and one dead, the president delivered a fiery speech near the Capitol filled with flagrant lies surrounding his electoral defeat, before urging his supporters to march to the building during the certification process.

Lawmakers and their aides were locked away in undisclosed locations and their own offices, barricaded with furniture as the right-wing extremists hurled death threats and ransacked the building. Some rioters carried confederate flags, while many donned Trump campaign merchandise.

Security officials said the lawmakers only narrowly avoided a full on breach of the seal of government, with video showing one United States Capitol Police officer’s heroic acts preventing the mob from accessing the entryway of the US Senate chambers.

State governors and representatives across the country have warned they lack the security measures necessary to protect their government facilities from the potential riots.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel warned the new rule approved by the state’s Capitol Commission banning the open carrying of weapons wasn’t strict enough in that it lacked significant verification mechanisms.

“Anyone - irrespective of criminal history, membership with an anti-government org, or stated intention to harm government employees-can still enter the Capitol fully locked and loaded with firearms or explosive devices hidden by clothing,” the attorney general wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. “My job is not to provide state employees [and] residents or other visitors to our Capitol with a false sense of security, especially given the current state of affairs in Michigan and around the nation.”

She added: “I repeat - the Michigan Capitol is not safe.”

Top security officials for the nation’s Capitol building have since resigned in the wake of the riots, along with USCP Chief Steven Sund. The resignations came amid growing calls for their dismissal — as well as the removal of the president from the Oval Office for his conduct during the riots. Mr Trump had virtually all of his social media accounts suspended after releasing a video during the mob attacks that continued to promote falsities of rampant voter fraud.

Mr Trump refused to take any responsibility for the mob at the Capitol during his first interview with reporters since the attacks occurred, before departing for a trip to the US-Mexico border on Tuesday for a tour of new border wall construction.

In response to questions about his own role in the mob, the president said: “So if you read my speech, and many people have done it, and I’ve seen it both in the papers and in the media, on television, it’s been analyzed, and people thought that what I said was totally appropriate.”