The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reported information about a warning issued by an armed group to organize a massive uprising if Congress agrees to activate the Constitutional Amendment No. 25 to impeach President Donald Trump before his term ends on January 20.
According to information published by the “ABC” network – according to the FBI – this group is planning to go to Washington on the 16th of this month, and incite the storming of courts and federal headquarters in the event Trump is removed before the day of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
The group also plans to organize armed protests in front of the legislative assemblies in the 50 states, from the date of the 16th of this month until the day of the inauguration.
The Pentagon has authorized the deployment of 15,000 National Guard personnel to secure the presidential inauguration, and National Guard Commander General Daniel Hokanson expected, on Monday, that about 10,000 troops would be deployed in the city by Saturday to bolster security, secure transportation, and communications.
Meanwhile, the White House said in a statement that President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency in Washington, DC, between the 11th and 24th of this month, and ordered federal assistance to contribute to the capital’s response due to the emergency conditions resulting from the inauguration of the president-elect.
And the authorities of Washington DC and the states of Virginia and Maryland adjacent to the capital called on their residents not to attend the inauguration ceremony of President-elect Joe Biden, and to be content with participating virtually.
This came in a joint statement by the local authorities in the three regions, after a preparatory meeting for the inauguration ceremony.
The statement emphasized that local authorities will work with their partners in the federal government to ensure the safety of the greater metropolitan area, which includes Washington, Northern Virginia, and Maryland.
On the other hand, US media reported that Acting National Security Minister Chad Wolf had ordered the Secret Service to prepare for the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, next Wednesday, instead of the 19th of this month.
The minister added that the decision to advance preparations for Biden’s inauguration came on the background of the events of the congressional storming.
In a surprising development shortly after these statements, a Fox News correspondent said that Wolf had resigned.
For his part, the head of the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, said that it is not possible to wait until Trump ends his term, and added in an interview with “MSNBC” that Trump may cause damage during the remaining days of his term.
In a related context, CNN revealed that US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence spoke tonight in the Oval Office for the first time since the presidential election results were approved.
Fox News also quoted a Trump administration official as saying that the president and his deputy had good talks during their meeting at the White House. Reuters also quoted a Trump administration official as saying that the two sides pledged during the talks to continue working for the country until the end of their terms, according to the official.
Indignant employee
In another development, Buzzfeed reported, according to unnamed sources, that an employee disgruntled with President Trump’s administration at the State Department was behind a change that appeared on a page on the ministry’s website, stating that the mandate of President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence ends on Monday exactly. At 18:50 Washington time.
This change caused great confusion, especially on social media, which assumed that the president resigned or was about to resign. It is noteworthy that the same message appeared on the same website on December 17th, and was explained at the time that it was caused by a mistake.
Trump impeached
In the same context, Biden said that President Trump should not remain in office, noting that he spoke on Monday with some members of the Senate about the removal of the president.
Biden added in Monday’s speech that he is not concerned about the inauguration ceremony, but that those who stormed Congress should be held accountable.
House Republicans have blocked rolling out legislation that would urge Vice President Mike Pence to begin the process of enacting Amendment No. 25 of the Constitution to remove the president.
House Democrats sought to approve the legislation to be put forward immediately for discussion, but Republicans blocked the move, and Democrats justified this effort by saying the president had “incited violence” in the deadly storming of Congress.
Democrats will put the draft resolution on the vote again on Tuesday for adoption by a majority of votes.
The legislation indicates that Trump gave a speech at a rally shortly before his supporters’ attack on Congress and that he made statements that were encouraging and leading to chaos on the Capitol.
Republican complicity
For her part, Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, confirmed Monday that the Republicans are “endangering America” ​​by “colluding” with President Trump, who accuses him of “inciting a bloody rebellion against America” ​​against the backdrop of the events of the Capitol building.
Pelosi expressed her regret at the Republicans ’opposition to the unanimous adoption of a resolution asking the Vice President to dismiss Trump by activating Amendment No. 25 to the Constitution.
Meanwhile, 3 Democratic lawmakers formally introduced a bill accusing Trump of “inciting rebellion.”
CNN quoted Steny Hoyer, leader of the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, as saying that the House may vote on this bill Wednesday and that he wants to send the indictment as soon as it is approved to the Senate to start the trial of the president.
Trump disavows
On the other hand, according to a press report, the outgoing president rejects any responsibility for his supporters storming the Congress building and intends to resume some official duties.
CBS News quoted Trump administration sources as saying that the president does not intend to resign, and does not feel any pressure on him, adding that he will do some tasks, including visiting the border with Mexico.
