Leaders Knew About The Threat Of Right-Wing Violence Ahead Of The Capitol Riot.

[brooklynite]

Source: BuzzFeed News

Even as elected officials in the District of Columbia warned residents to stay home and avoid potentially violent skirmishes with pro-Trump protesters early last week, behind the scenes they were increasingly focused on what, at the time, they considered a far bigger threat: the president himself.

In a closed briefing to the 13-member City Council last Monday, the DC Attorney General’s office shared a two-page memo analyzing the risk that Trump could invoke the Insurrection Act to seize control of the city’s Metropolitan Police Department, according to three members in attendance. The 214-year-old law authorizes the president to deploy any of the country’s state or federal armed forces to suppress civil disobedience or an uprising.

The legal memo, “Potential Paths of Federal Incursion Into District Law Enforcement,” focused on whether the Insurrection Act would allow Trump to take control of the MPD. The document, the existence of which has not previously been reported, also contemplated the possibility of the White House using the National Guard and federal law enforcement agencies such as the US Marshals Service and the Bureau of Prisons to effectively take control of the city.

“We had every reason to suspect there would be some sort of trouble,” said Phil Mendelson, chair of the city council. But he added that “our concern was that it would be fomented by the President who would say: ‘Look there’s rioting and chaos — we need to take over the police department and bring in the National Guard.’ ”

Read more: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/rosalindadams/dc-officials-feared-trump-insurrection-act

[msongs]

1. this act needs to be repealed nt

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Man, is this story laced with irony

Trump would have been on sound legal ground if he had invoked the Insurrection Act.

City elected officials thought Trump would obey the law! lol on that one.

No one expected Trump to incite the insurrection.

"Federal incursion" says to me they saw it as a turf battle. Maybe that's why they didn't focus on the adequacy of response.

[SunSeeker]

3. EVERYONE KNEW. You just had to look at the news, scroll social media!

The Police Chief LIED that he had the necessary security in place, as anxious lawmakers like Maxind Waters asked him about January 6 security preparations!

[Warpy]

5. People here at DU sure as hell knew

I wasn't the only one telling counterprotesters to stay home this time. Most of us knew they were planning some kind of shit show.

[summer_in_TX]

6. Thank you for urging counter-protestors to stay home.

It made what we saw on Wednesday crystal clear. No chance to obfuscate and claim, "But both sides did it." No they didn't.

Clearly we have a problem of right wing violence. WE knew it, but now all except those looped into the conspiracy world know it too.

Having a common understanding of what the problem is will make it far easier to address it.

[BlueIdaho]

4. Blood on their hands.

[BobTheSubgenius]

7. Ya think????

JFC, how could they NOT know? Everyone knew, except some of the people that counted, in the moment, it would seem. That is at least a charitable way of looking at it.

What would someone's excuse be? Can't read? Can't understand English? Still too wasted from the holidays to focus? *SMFH*