National Guard And Razor Wire Everywhere: DC Gets Dystopian As Impeachment Trial Kicks Off

February 8, 2021 Joseph Sosa Latest News, Politics 0

Next week, the country will gather round to watch Democrats argue why former President Trump should be convicted for inciting the Jan. 6 ‘Capitol Riot,’ after the House impeached him on one count of “incitement of insurrection.”

To prepare for the trial, DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management chief, Christopher Rodriguez, is maintaining a dystopian backdrop of armed National Guard troops and razor wire-topped security fences.

“We must demonstrate an overt security presence in D.C., at least for now,” Rodriguez said at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing last week. “We believe that this posture is essential to ensuring that the Metro Police Department can deploy resources to all parts of the city during an emergency.”

Walkways and green spaces around the Capitol and adjacent congressional office buildings that are normally plied by tourists and joggers have been off limits since the Jan. 6 riot.

Instead, there are rifle-toting National Guard troops — part of a contingent of several thousand assigned to assist with security — stationed with Capitol police at a checkpoints for entry to the grounds. In addition there are 500 members of the District of Columbia National Guard on standby as a quick reaction force.

“It’s surreal,” said Representative Andy Kim, a New Jersey Democrat. “I’ve worked in a lot of tough areas before, it is very intense to see this level of structure with such a massive perimeter put forward. –Bloomberg

Approximately 7,000 National Guard personnel will remain in DC – left behind after more than 20,000 Guradsmen were deployed to Joe Biden’s inauguration to protect against a ‘right-wing extremist threat’ that never materialized. By mid-march, the number of Guard will be reduced to 5,000.

Democratic impeachment managers are expected to argue that Trump’s election fraud claims inspired a cadre of supporters to ‘storm the capitol’ (they walked through an open door), and that the ‘insurrectionists’ led by ‘QAnon Shaman’ were attempting to gain control of the United States (only to take selfies with Capitol Police and walk out un-arrested). In total, five people died during the incident – including a protester who was shot dead by Capitol Police for trying to breach an interior barricade.

More footage from the Jan. 6 ‘insurrection’:
“Any chance I could get you guys to leave?”
“This is like, the sacredest place.“

Trump’s impeachment defense team, meanwhile, is expected to show a montage of prominent Democratic lawmakers calling for insurrection against the Trump administration, and what we assume will include footage of 2020 anti-police riots.

Defense attorneys will undoubtedly mention that Trump told his supporters to ‘stay peaceful‘ and then ‘go home now,’ because ‘we have to have peace.‘

All Democrats plus 17 Republican Senators would be required to cross the two-thirds threshold to convict Trump. As Bloomberg notes, however, “A test vote in the Senate last month indicated that a few GOP members are willing to break with the former president, but far fewer than the level needed to bar him from serving in public office again.”

Perhaps an encore performance by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recounting her near death experience will convince at least 17 Republicans to break ranks?


Via Zero Hedge