(ETH) – Following the day of unrest and violence in Washington, DC, that the Mayor labeled “Acts of Terrorism”, More than 6,000 National Guard members have been deployed from DC and surrounding areas and elsewhere as well as a 7-foot tall fence built erected around the U.S. Capitol. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called “acts of domestic terrorism.”
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy reported that a total of 6,200 National Guard members are being mobilized and will remain in place for the next 30 days to support D.C. police including the entire D.C. National Guard. Support will also come from National Guard members from Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York.
In addition, to this a 7-foot-tall “non-scalable” fence is also being constructed around the Capitol building and will run along Constitution Avenue, Independence Avenue, and First Street to the street that runs in front of the Capitol Reflecting Pool. According to a report from wtop news, Bowser pointed to the federal Code of Regulations in calling the storming of the Capitol building by Trump supporters “textbook terrorism.”.
The mayor made the statement in a recent press conference. This comes after a day of chaos broke loose in Washington, DC after thousands of protesters overwhelmed police and breached the building in an unprecedented assault on the Democratic process resulting in 4 deaths and at least 50 arrested. The ripple effect of this is being felt in Washington with many resigning or threatening to step down.
One was, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao who reportedly resigned Thursday saying the riots in DC had “deeply troubled” her. One administration official described Trump’s behavior Wednesday as that of “a total monster,” while another said the situation was “insane” and “beyond the pale.” According to another report from the Houston Chronicle:
“Fearful that if Trump remains in office – even for a few days, he could take actions that could cause further violence and death – senior administration officials were discussing Wednesday night whether the Cabinet might invoke the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to force him out, said a person involved in the conversations”.
Meanwhile, Speaker Nancy Pelosi on along with Chuck Schumer has called on the vice president to immediately begin the process of removing President Donald Trump from office, an extraordinary statement that gives weight to a Democratic effort to remove him from the presidency even though he only has 13 days left.
“This is urgent, this is an emergency of the highest magnitude,” Pelosi told reporters in the Capitol, one day after Trump’s supporters stormed the complex and spurred dozens of Democrats to call for Trump’s removal. “Yesterday the president of the United States incited an armed insurrection against America.”
