AP
Washington Hispanic:
Supporters of President Donald Trump have descended on the nation’s capital to applaud his baseless claims of voter fraud ahead of a vote in Congress to affirm Joe Biden’s election victory.
The president is expected to personally address his supporters during a Wednesday morning rally at the Ellipse, just south of the White House.
Just steps from the White House, protesters – many without masks – gathered in Freedom Plaza on Tuesday to denounce the Electoral College vote. As the temperatures dropped over the years 40 and a steady rain spread through the streets, hundreds remained in the square until dusk.
“I’m only here to support the president,” said David Wideman, a 45 year old firefighter who traveled from Memphis, Tennessee.
Wideman acknowledged that he was “confused” by a series of losses of the president’s legal team in his attempt to annul the election results and did not know what options Trump had left.
“I’m not sure what I can do right now, but I want to hear what you have to say,” said Wideman.
Trump tweeted his support for the protesters: “Washington is being inundated with people who don’t want to see an electoral victory stolen by emboldened radical left Democrats. Our country has had enough, they will no longer accept it! We hear you (and love you) from the Oval Office. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! ”
Speakers included former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, whom the president pardoned after he was convicted twice for lying to the FBI in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
“We are in a melting pot moment in American history,” Flynn told the crowd in his most without masks. “This country is awake now.”
The protests coincide with Wednesday’s Congressional vote that is expected to certify the Electoral College results, which Trump continues to dispute.
In a Tuesday night tweet, Trump asked Democrats and fellow Republicans to look at the “thousands of people pouring into DC.” In another tweet, he warned that antifa, the umbrella term for left-wing militant groups that Trump has said he wants to declare a terrorist organization, should be kept out of Washington.
The rallies had officials locals and law enforcement agencies preparing for possible violent street clashes. Many businesses in central Washington boarded their windows, fearful that the protest could turn into the riots seen in May and June when dozens of businesses were vandalized.
The District Mayor Columbia’s Muriel Bowser called in National Guard troops to help bolster the city’s police force. He urged residents to stay out of central Washington and avoid clashes with anyone “looking for a fight.” But, he warned, “we will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents or cause destruction in our city.”
Election officials from both political parties, state governors Battleground key and former Trump attorney general William Barr have said there was no widespread fraud in the election. Almost all legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by the justices, including two challenges rejected by the Supreme Court.
A pro-Trump rally of the 12 December ended in violence as hundreds of Trump supporters, wearing the black and yellow signature of the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, sought clashes with a collective of local activists who were trying to prevent them from Black Lives Matter Plaza, an area near the White House. At least two local Black churches had Black Lives Matter flags torn down and set on fire.
On Monday, police arrested Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio of 36 years, after he arrived in Washington before this week’s protests. Tarrio was charged with burning one of the Black Lives Matter flags in December and was found with two high-capacity firearm magazines, police said. A judge signed an order Tuesday prohibiting Tarrio from entering the District of Columbia, with very limited exceptions related to his criminal case.
In addition to the National Guard, federal agents were on hold, in case they were quickly needed in town this week.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons said that some 100 « Specially Trained Officers “were dispatched to Justice Department headquarters to assist other security personnel, but would remain” in a standby capacity unless necessary. “
The The Department of Homeland Security, for its part, said that, unlike the May and June riots in Washington, it did not plan to deploy Customs and Border Protection agents for Wednesday’s demonstration.
“At this time, we have not been asked to deploy. However, we have a modest rapid reaction force that will be on standby if our assistance is requested, “said Acting Agency Commissioner Mark Morgan.
Organizers planned to meet at night on Tuesday and again all day on Wednesday at the Ellipse. An afternoon march to the United States Capitol is also planned, where Congress will vote to affirm the election results. Several prominent Trump supporters were expected to attend, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Roger Stone, a longtime Trump ally, recipient of a pardon from the president.
Stone he was found guilty of lying to Congress during the investigation into Russian interference in the elections of 2016 and sentenced to three years in prison. Trump commuted the sentence when Stone pursued an appeal and later issued a full pardon.
A pro-Trump rally in November attracted some 15.000 participants. The rally on 12 attracted a smaller number, but a larger contingent of Proud Boys.
During previous pro-Trump protests, police cordoned off Black Lives Matter Plaza, but clashes spilled over into the surrounding streets. Black Lives Matter Plaza was cordoned off Tuesday.
“We know that historically in the last demonstrations that BLM Plaza has been a focal point,” Contee said a day earlier. “We want to make sure that’s not a problem.”