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Washington — US President Donald Trump has declared a state of emergency in Washington DC ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20, the White House said on Monday. The declaration of emergency comes after riots broke out at the US Capitol where pro-Trump supporters wreaked havoc in US Capitol on January 6. At least five people died as a result of the chaos, including a US Capitol Police officer.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is warning that armed protests are being planned in all 50 US state capitals, including the US Capitol building, in the final days leading up to President-elect Biden’s inauguration, Sputnik reported.
“President Donald J Trump declared that an emergency exists in the District of Columbia and ordered Federal assistance to supplement the District’s response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from the 59th Presidential Inauguration from January 11 to January 24, 2021,” a release from the White House read.
“The President’s action authorises the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to co-ordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorised under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the District of Columbia,” it added.
The FEMA is authorised to identify, mobilise, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. “Emergency protective measures, limited to direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 100 per cent Federal funding,” the White Houses said.
On January 6, a group of Trump’s supporters stormed the US Capitol building, clashing with police, damaging property, seizing the inauguration stage and occupying the rotunda. The unrest took place after Trump urged his supporters to protest what he claims is a stolen election.
Meanwhile, the FBI has warned of possible armed protests being held across the US as Trump supporters and far-right groups call for demonstrations before Joe Biden is sworn in as president.
There are reports of armed groups planning to gather at all 50 state capitols and in Washington DC in the run-up to his 20 January inauguration.
Security will be tight for the event after a pro-Trump mob stormed Congress.
House Democrats say a vote to impeach the president will happen on Wednesday.
They accuse President Trump of “incitement of insurrection” and say the vote will be held unless Vice-President Mike Pence invokes constitutional powers to remove Mr Trump from office. There is no sign Mr Pence is prepared to do so.
Mr Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris are expected to be sworn in at a ceremony at the Capitol. The Biden team had already urged Americans to avoid travelling to the capital because of the Covid-19 pandemic, a call that is now being repeated by local authorities.
Security officials have said there will be no repeat of the breach seen on 6 January, when thousands of pro-Trump supporters were able to break into the building where members of Congress were voting to certify the election result.
Five people died in the riot, which happened after Mr Trump repeated unsubstantiated claims of fraud in the November vote and encouraged his supporters to march on the Capitol.
Since then, calls for Mr Trump’s resignation, removal from office or impeachment have grown among Democrats and some Republicans. Mr Trump has made no public statements since he was banned from several social media platforms — including Twitter — on Friday.
He became the third US president to be impeached in December 2019 over charges of breaking the law by asking Ukraine to investigate his rival in the presidential election. The Senate cleared him. – Reuters
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