What To Know Today
Lawmakers protest — and some ignore — new Capitol security measures. On Tuesday, the Office of the House Sergeant-at-Arms set up new metal detectors outside the House chamber. Congressional regulations exempt legislators from a ban on guns in the Capitol complex, though firearms are still banned on the House floor. The new measures have drawn the ire of a handful House Republicans, and for two straight days members have been spotted refusing to use the new security protocol and pushing their way past Capitol Police. Yesterday evening, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi proposed instituting fines for not complying, starting at $5,000 for the first offense and $10,000 for the second. The House will vote on the rule change when members return January 21. Related: House Republican Madison Cawthorn recently told The Asheville-Citizen Times that he had a loaded gun with him during the January 6 insurrection. Last month, Cawthorn told a pro-Trump group to “lightly threaten” lawmakers while pushing baseless claims of voter fraud.
“Molon labe” made an appearance on the House floor — here’s what it means. During a House session on Tuesday night, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene — who supports the QAnon conspiracy theory — was spotted wearing a mask with the Greek phrase. As we show in explainer, the words translate to “come and take [them]” and have been a rallying cry for right-wing groups and gun-rights supporters raising the alarm about gun confiscation.
The Oath Keepers militia joins the list of the deplatformed. The far-right militia group’s web page went down earlier this week after its host pulled the plug, according to a post from the group’s leader. LiquidWeb, the company the Oath Keepers say hosted its site, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Southern Poverty Law Center has identified the Oath Keepers as an extremist, anti-government militia with a history of violence. A November leak of the group’s internal communications showed members discussing “executing lefties openly and violently” and “killing the news media live on air.” — Chip Brownlee, investigative fellow
National Guard in D.C. is authorized to carry guns ahead of the inauguration. The Army Secretary made the announcement for those guarding the Capitol complex ahead of the January 20 swearing in of President-elect Joe Biden. As many as 20,000 National Guard troops are expected in the city by Inauguration Day. More intelligence warnings: A Secret Service bulletin obtained by the Daily Beast dated January 11 warns of armed protests in Washington, D.C., that could turn violent before and after the inauguration; a threat from far-right boogaloo believers was singled out. The report echoed a recent FBI bulletin in warning of armed demonstrations in all 50 states.
Image of the day: Members of the National Guard slept in the halls of the Capitol as the House of Representatives convened to impeach President Donald Trump. It’s the first time troops have been stationed inside the Capitol since the Civil War, a House security official told a Bloomberg reporter.
New From The Trace
We’re tracking gun arrests tied to the siege at the U.S. Capitol. The January 6 insurrection wasn’t explicitly billed as a Second Amendment event. But the specter of guns was everywhere: on the flags flown by rioters, in the insurrectionist theory they espoused, and the tactical gear they donned. And in some cases, despite Washington, D.C.’s unusually strict gun laws, the Trump supporters who gathered at the U.S. Capitol were armed. As of now, at least nine people have been charged with illegal gun possession charges stemming from the riot, according to an analysis of arrest records and court documents. You can read more about the cases here.
He grew up amid the trauma of gun violence. Now he works to help families heal. Edwin Martinez’s childhood in Chicago was in part defined by the common sight of gang members, frequent harassment by the police, and the shooting of his cousin. As he tells my colleague Ann Givens in a new profile, the experiences inspired him to become a social worker, and he now leads several support groups to help families and children process traumas that he recognizes intimately. Martinez’s work is often difficult and change comes slow, but as he says about a man he once worked with, “We were able to plant a seed and expand his support system.” You can read the full piece here.
Data Point
At least 28 — the number of law enforcement officials (from 12 states) who attended the Trump rally directly before the Capitol attacks on January 6. [The Appeal]