UPDATE: 1,100 DC National Guard members being mobilized

UPDATE

The Pentagon says about 1,100 D.C. National Guard members are being mobilized to help support law enforcement as violent supporters of President Donald Trump breached the U.S. Capitol.

Pentagon spokesperson Jonathan Hoffman said Wednesday afternoon that defense leaders have been in contact with the city and congressional leadership.

A defense official said all 1,100 of the D.C. Guard were being activated and sent to the city’s armory. The Guard forces will be used at checkpoints and for other similar duties and could also help in the enforcement of the 6 p.m. curfew being implemented tonight in the city.

The officials said the D.C. request for National Guard was not rejected earlier in the day. Instead, according to officials, the Guard members have a very specific mission that does not include putting military in a law enforcement role at the Capitol. As a result, the Guard must be used to backfill law enforcement outside the Capitol complex, freeing up more law enforcement to respond to the Capitol.

Hoffman said the law enforcement response to the violence will be led by the Justice Department.

UPDATE:

1 person shot as Trump backers storm Capitol

WASHINGTON (AP) — One person has been shot at the U.S. Capitol as dozens of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the building and violently clashed with police.

That’s according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity amid a chaotic situation.

The exact circumstances surrounding the shooting were unclear. The person said the victim had been taken to a hospital. Their condition was not known.

The shooting came as dozens of Trump supporters breached security perimeters and entered the U.S. Capitol as Congress was meeting, expected to vote and affirm Joe Biden’s presidential win. Trump has riled up his supporters by falsely claiming widespread voter fraud to explain his loss.

Trump is encouraging supporters occupying the U.S. Capitol to “remain peaceful,” but he is not calling for them to disperse.

As he faced growing pressure from allies to condemn the violence Wednesday afternoon, Trump tweeted, “No violence!” adding: “Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue.”

But Trump did not ask supporters to vacate the area as the unrest continued.

Trump had appeared earlier at a rally and had urged his supporters to march to the Capitol — at one point even suggesting he would join them. He is upset that he lost the presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden and has falsely claimed voter fraud to explain it away.

He also urged his supporters to “get rid of the weak Congress people” — presumably through primary challenges — saying, “get the weak ones get out; this is the time for strength.

UPDATE:

Lawmakers given gas masks as protesters breach US Capitol

WASHINGTON (AP) — Protesters supporting President Donald Trump violently clashed with law enforcement Wednesday, sending the U.S. Capitol into chaos, locking the building down and halting the vote to certify Joe Biden’s presidential victory.

Dozens of people breached security perimeters at the Capitol and lawmakers inside the House chamber were told to put on gas masks as tear gas was fired in the Rotunda.

A chaplain prayed as police guarded the doors to the chamber and lawmakers tried to gather information about what was happening.

An announcement was played inside the Capitol as lawmakers were meeting and expected to vote to affirm Biden’s victory. Due to an “external security threat,” no one could enter or exit the Capitol complex, the recording said.

Both chambers abruptly went into recess. The District of Columbia’s Mayor, Muriel Bowser, issued a curfew for 6 p.m.

The skirmishes occurred outside in the very spot where president-elect Biden will be inaugurated in just two weeks.

Protesters tore down metal barricades at the bottom of the Capitol’s steps and were met by officers in riot gear. Some tried to push past the officers who held shields and officers could be seen firing pepper spray into the crowd to keep them back. Some in the crowd were shouting “traitors” as officers tried to keep them back.

A suspicious package was also reported in the area, Capitol Police said.

The skirmishes came just shortly after Trump addressed thousands of his supporters, riling up the crowd with his baseless claims of election fraud at a rally near the White House on Wednesday ahead of Congress’ vote.

“We will not let them silence your voices,” Trump told the protesters, who had lined up before sunrise to get a prime position to hear the president.

ORIGINAL STORY:

(CNN) — Hundreds of law enforcement officers have mobilized across Washington as thousands of supporters who refuse to accept President Donald Trump’s election loss flooded the nation’s capital Wednesday in protest — in some cases sparring with authorities — as Congress gathered to put the final stamp on President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.

Thousands of protesters gathered around the Washington Monument Wednesday morning as the Elton John song “Tiny Dancer” played from loud speakers. The song was interrupted by an announcement telling people to leave behind backpacks, chairs and flagpoles so people could get through a security checkpoint. Hundreds of people carried flags. Some were American, some were Trump 2020 flags, at least one said “F*CK BIDEN” with the letter U replaced by a flag symbol.

As part of their preparations, police posted signs around the district warning of the illegality of gun possession during protests as Trump tweeted his support for the protesters, saying, “Our Country has had enough, they won’t take it anymore!” and “We Hear you (and love you) from the Oval Office.”

The Department of Homeland Security, which has staffed a “Virtual Situation Room” to help communication between different agencies, is “not currently tracking any active threats,” spokesman Alexei Woltornist said.

Trump traveled a short distance from the White House to the rally Wednesday morning. About 20 aides were outside awaiting Trump’s departure, audibly shouting “Save our country” as he boarded his SUV. Trump gave a fist bump and appeared to blow a kiss.

Trump addressed a large, tightly packed and largely maskless crowd of supporters on the Ellipse. His remarks got off to an inauspicious start as Trump’s microphone appeared to be turned off as he began speaking.

“We can’t hear you!” members of the audience were heard shouting on the video feed, though he appeared unaware and kept speaking.

Moments later, audio was restored, and Trump was railing against the media.

Trump’s speech included calls for his vice president to step outside his constitutional bounds and overturn the results of the election.

“Hope Mike is going to do the right thing,” Trump said at a rally on the Ellipse. “If Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election.”

Pence released a letter he wrote to congress Wednesday just after noon, saying he wouldn’t object to Biden’s victory.

A large glass barrier shielded Trump from the crowd, similar to when he spoke in front of the Lincoln Memorial on the Fourth of July 2019.

Ahead of Trump’s speech, Rudy Giuliani was addressing the rally on the Ellipse, baselessly repeating claims that voting machines were “crooked,” and continuing to insist that Pence can do something today to change the election’s outcome, which he does not have power to do. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

“Let’s have trial by combat!” Giuliani told the enthusiastic crowd.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said the District is “absolutely prepared” for protests and announced that that at least ten people were arrested overnight related to the protests. At least one person was arrested for carrying an unlicensed gun and six people were charged with assault, including one for assaulting a police officer.

“We had several arrests related to that activity, but not a single one of them was a DC resident,” she said.

Authorities — a mix that includes local police, National Guard and federal uniformed officers — had already arrested several people ahead of demonstrations including the leader of the Proud Boys, a far-right group that Trump directly addressed during an autumn debate to “stand back and stand by.“

The Proud Boys’ leader, Henry Tarrio, who goes by Enrique Tarrio, was released from police custody Tuesday on charges related to a protest last month and ordered by a local judge to stay out of DC as he awaits trial, including during this week’s protests.

Gun-free zones

In the days leading up to Wednesday’s planned march, police posted signs declaring areas where they expect protesters gun-free zones between Monday and Thursday. “ALL firearms prohibited within 1000 feet of this sign,” they read, taped to light poles.

Protesters dressed in pro-Trump regalia gathered Tuesday across the city while others posted photos of their travel to Wednesday’s rally on social media. Several speakers on Tuesday led the crowds in chants of “four more years,” even as Trump has all but exhausted legal avenues for turning the tide against Biden.

One after another, speakers put forth claims that the election was stolen, imploring people to “fight” for victory on Wednesday. Trump’s loss has been reaffirmed by courts and state election officials dozens of times since the election.

Tuesday’s speakers included Trump adviser Roger Stone, who was convicted of lying to Congress, obstruction and threatening a witness before being pardoned by the President.

“We don’t trust the media’s crystal ball” on the election results and the finalization of the Electoral College count by Congress on Wednesday, said Dustin Stockton, one of the march organizers. But, he said, “it’s clear that Wednesday will be historic.”

“(Trump) still has cards to play that he hasn’t played,” Stockton said. ”We won’t stop fighting until the President does.”

A DC police spokesman, Sean Hickman, would not comment on police staffing for the demonstrations or say whether they’d attempt to keep pro-Trump supporters separate from counterprotesters. It’s also not clear how aggressive police will be in enforcing the district’s gun laws.

“As with any known, large demonstration, we will continue to monitor and assess each activity, and plan accordingly with our local and federal law enforcement partners,” Hickman said.

Federal agencies over the summer created confusion during protests by sending agents into demonstrations in unmarked vehicles and without names, agencies or other identifiers on uniforms. Congress passed a law requiring federal agents to wear some unique identifier on their clothing while working protests.

A letter Tuesday from DC Mayor Muriel Bowser to the Department of Justice regarding the upcoming protests noted problems police had encountered when armed officers working for federal agencies staffed protests without identification over the summer, including in Lafayette Park.

This “caused confusion among residents and visitors and could become a national security threat with no way for MPD and federal law enforcement to decipher armed groups,” Bowser wrote.

Armed and unidentifiable federal agents dressed in camouflage arrested protesters in Portland, Oregon, over the summer and took them away in unmarked vehicles. Federal officials later identified them as agents of the US Customs and Border Protection, but they weren’t wearing name badges or agency identifiers.

Around the same time, Trump branded anti-racism protesters in the country as “terrorists,” and promised to ”surge” paramilitary-style units into other cities. Outrage over the tactics led to Congress passing the law requiring identifying marks on federal agents working protests.

US Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, also wrote to federal officials Monday reminding them of this new law.

“Members of the armed forces and federal law enforcement personnel responding to civil disturbances are now required to visibly display both their name or an individual identifier, and the name of the armed force, or federal entity by which they are employed,” he wrote.

The US Bureau of Prisons sent 100 “specially trained officers” to the Department of Justice in DC to supplement department facility security, Justin Long, a spokesman for that agency, said Tuesday. They’ll function as a “reserve” for other Justice Department security teams.

Mark Morgan, the senior official performing the duties of the commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection, said Tuesday that the agency has not been asked to deploy agents but added that it has a “modest, quick reactionary force that will be on standby just in case our assistance is requested.”

Ken Cuccinelli, the senior official performing the duties of the Homeland Security deputy secretary, said the agency is “prepared to surge personnel, as needed.”

“Secret Service is at the heart of a lot of this stuff. They have a long history. … And we’re coordinating, not just the Service coordinating, but to the extent the Federal Protective Service, which is protecting literally dozens of locations around the city, has any need for backup, we’re prepared for that,” Cuccinelli said.

“Obviously, we hope all these different protests go off peacefully, but we are prepared to surge personnel, as needed, where needed across the district in coordination with DOJ and then local authorities, as well, are so intimately involved.”

Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller on Monday approved a request from the District of Columbia to deploy a limited number of DC National Guard forces to support the Metropolitan Police Department and fire department. The guardsmen will not be armed and be mostly assisting with traffic control.

The Proud Boys

Expected at the rallies are members of the Proud Boys, a far-right group seen often in black and yellow at Trump rallies and who sometimes engage in street fights with far-left protesters. Affiliates of the group have also shown apparent ties to Stone, including at his criminal trial in late 2019. This comes about a month after a Proud Boys protest ended with stabbings and the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner taken from a Black church.

Tarrio was arrested Monday and charged in connection with the burning of the banner and ordered released from police custody on Tuesday. The judge ordered him to stay out of the District of Columbia except for his own court appearances until further notice, according to court records.

Tarrio had two high-capacity gun magazines when police arrested him, according to authorities, and he was also charged with possession of a high-capacity feeding device.

Tarrio did not return CNN’s calls or texts Monday. He took responsibility for burning the banner last month, writing in a post on the social media website Parler that “against the wishes of my attorney I am here today to admit that I am the person responsible for the burning of this sign.”

He also posted on social media that Proud Boys members would be “incognito” for this week’s protests.

Tuesday’s protesters chanted “Enrique” in support of Tarrio. A few speakers also went on anti-mask rants, one of them saying masks worn to prevent the spread of coronavirus are a means of “control” for officials “trying to take your freedom away.” A vast majority of the several hundred people at Freedom Plaza were not wearing masks throughout the afternoon and evening.

Founded in 2016, the Proud Boys group lists among its central tenets a belief in “closed borders” and the aim of “reinstating a spirit of Western chauvinism.” In online statements, it’s claimed it has used violence only in self-defense. Members are often seen carrying firearms and bats and donning protective gear. The group’s ideology has been labeled “misogynistic, Islamophobic, transphobic, and anti-immigration” by the Anti-Defamation League.