The U.S. Capitol Police said Wednesday that “all available staff will be working” on Sept. 18, the date of a pro-Trump rally intended to show support for the hundreds of rioters prosecuted over the Jan. 6 attack.
“We have a robust security posture planned for Sept. 18,” read a statement from the Capitol Police. “All available staff will be working.”
The police agency’s chief Tom Manger plans to brief Congressional legislators on their security concerns and intelligence Monday.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) invited Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (D-Calif.) to the briefing.
Refusing to offer details at a news conference Wednesday, Pelosi declared, “We intend to have the integrity of the Capitol be intact.”
Local law enforcement leaders are “bracing for potential clashes and unrest” at the right-wing “Justice for J6” rally, pointing to an escalation in rhetoric and the planning of counterprotests that same day, according to an internal memo reviewed by CNN.
The rally has also been billed as a “Justice for Ashli Babbitt” event, raising concerns about the probability of repeat violence.
Capitol Police are working with neighboring police agencies, weighing options including re-installing the security fencing around Capitol Hill.
Rally organizer Matt Braynard, a former Trump campaign staffer, told CNN the event would be a peaceful protest.
“We have told people that when they come, we don’t want to see any messaging about the election,” Braynard said. “We don’t want to see any messaging on T-shirts and flags or signs about candidates, or anything like that.”
The internal Capitol Police memo speculated lower attendance on Sept. 18, noting the group’s past events had been much smaller and that there’s been no uptick in hotel reservations for that weekend.
“After Jan. 6, we made department-wide changes to the way we gather and share intelligence internally and externally,” Chief Tom Manger said in a statement. “I am confident the work we are doing now will make sure our officers have what they need to keep everyone safe.”
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