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WASHINGTON (AP) – The latest news on the impeachment of President Donald Trump and the fallout from the January 6 attack on the Capitol by pro-Trump loyalists (still local):
13:35
Vice President Mike Pence called on Vice President Elect Kamala Harris to offer congratulations and help in his transition to office.
This is according to two people who were not authorized to discuss the private conversation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Pence’s call comes less than a week before President-elect Joe Biden and Harris take office. The day of the inauguration will take place next Wednesday.
The call is the first contact between elected representatives of outgoing and incoming administrations. President Donald Trump has not contacted Biden and has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of Biden’s victory.
Trump will not attend the inauguration. Pence will be there.
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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IMPEACHMENT AND THE JAN FALLOUT. 6 RIOTING AT THE CAPITOL:
President Donald Trump faces a Senate impeachment trial that could begin next Wednesday, the day Democrat Joe Biden is inaugurated as the 46th US president. Trump was impeached last Wednesday, a week after encouraging a host of loyalists to “fight like hell” against the election results and the Capitol has come under a deadly siege. The FBI warns that armed protests by violent Trump supporters are planned in all 50 state capitals as well as Washington.
Read more:
Justice Department watchdog opens investigation into riot response
Capitol Rioters consisted of former military and highly trained cops
The nine people responsible for the indictment of Pelosi hope to “ finish the job ”
Amid the cacophony from the Capitol seat, a key officer remains silent
GOP Senators in the spotlight as second impeachment trial looms
Trump’s impeachment trial to focus on his attacks on the elections
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE HAPPENS:
12:25
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it may be necessary to prosecute members of Congress if one is found to have helped pro-Trump rioters in the attack on the last week against the Capitol.
The California Democrat says this aggression highlighted the need for the United States to be wary of domestic threats. She says, “We have really lost our innocence in this.” Pelosi tells reporters that members of Congress need to be able to trust each other.
His words underscore suggestions from some Democrats that some GOP lawmakers helped fuel the belief of supporters of President Donald Trump in Trump’s false accusations that his loss in the presidential election was due to electoral fraud.
They also point to the extraordinary mistrust and anger that has grown in Congress since the attack, which led to Trump’s impeachment from the House this week.
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12:10
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré was being asked to lead a security review of the U.S. Capitol following last week’s deadly insurgency.
Pelosi told a press conference on Friday that the entire Capitol complex must be subject to “careful scrutiny in light of what happened” and the fact that President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration will take place next week.
Honoré is perhaps best known for overseeing humanitarian aid efforts in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina.
Pelosi says Honoré will conduct an immediate review of security and interagency interaction and “command and control” on Capitol Hill.
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11:55 a.m.
The National Park Service has closed Washington’s National Mall to the general public as part of significantly heightened security ahead of Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration.
The closure began on Friday morning. It will remain in effect at least until Thursday, the day after Biden’s inauguration, the National Park Service said in a statement.
The secret services have asked for the closure. Thousands of National Guard soldiers are deployed to the nation’s capital under extraordinary security, after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building on January 6 as lawmakers certify the results of the victory Biden’s election campaign on Trump.
The park service will still allow groundbreaking activities and free speech events permitted on the National Mall despite the closure, he said.
The park service said it would only allow small protests for permit holders and would escort all protesters and hold them in designated areas, along with other security measures.
Spokesmen for the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior did not immediately respond when asked whether protest permits had been granted or requested.
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10:25 a.m.
Defense Department officials are scrambling to call the governors and ask if they have any other National Guard troops to send to Washington to help protect the Capitol and the city.
A defense official familiar with the discussions said law enforcement officials and other authorities have now determined they will need around 25,000 National Guard troops. And they say that number could increase further.
As of Friday morning, officials had commitments from states for nearly 22,000 members of the Guard. This is according to the official, who was not authorized to discuss the internal deliberations publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
In recent days, military and defense leaders have said they understand that states also face their own looming protests and that the top priority of governors is to protect their own capitals.
The number of Guard officials seeking to help protect the District of Columbia in the run-up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday has grown almost daily.
Defense and law enforcement officials have revised the numbers as they conduct rehearsals and other exercises to determine how much and where they need Guard reinforcements to help lock down Washington.
—Lolita C. Baldor, Associate Press Editor
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10 hours
The Department of Justice’s internal watchdog said it would investigate how the department and its agencies prepared and responded to last week’s riots on the U.S. Capitol.
The investigation by the Inspector General’s office will examine whether the information was properly shared by the Justice Department with other law enforcement agencies about the potential for violence.
The Inspector General said he will “also assess whether there are any weaknesses in DOJ protocols, policies or procedures” that have hindered preparation and response to events.
The review is one of several launched by inspectors general, including in the departments of homeland security and defense and the department of the interior, which oversees park police.
The launch of the review signals concern among watchdogs that preparations for and response to the breach of the Capitol by President Donald Trump’s loyalists were lacking.
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