On August 24, 1814, British troops entered Washington after defeating the American Civilian Army at the Battle of Bladensburg. They then burned both the White House and the Capitol. Since that sad day, Washington DC has experienced civil war, numerous large-scale protests, riots and unrest. But the Capitol, the architectural symbol of our democracy, has not been attacked and occupied since British humiliation.
The Capitol, the architectural symbol of our democracy, has not been attacked and occupied since the British humiliation. Only Wednesday.
Not until Wednesday, that is, when a crowd of supporters of the Trump building stormed the building. One person was fatally shot during the riot, and a Capitol policeman is now dead from injuries sustained while defending the Capitol. According to police, one explosive device was found outside the Republican National Committee headquarters and a second device near the offices of the Democratic National Committee.
City leaders, as well as federal officials, knew that violence could occur during or after the planned “Save America” march in support of Trump’s unfounded election fraud. Many businesses in downtown Washington opened their windows earlier this week as a precaution. Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was also arrested on arrival in Washington on Monday and ordered to leave the city.
But the glasses that Americans have seen on their televisions raise several important questions. Why were senior DCs and federal officials apparently so unprepared for the crisis? And what does this mean for the remaining few days of Trump’s presidency – for the security of our country as well as the future of our democracy?
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday she had called Joint Chiefs of Staff Secretary-General Mark Milley to see if there was a way to prevent Trump from gaining access to the Nuclear Power Launch Codes. This frightening responsibility is one of the president’s biggest burdens as commander – in – chief. Over the past four years, Trump has repeatedly acted irrationally. But over the past week, his lack of fitness has only intensified – a failure that could have catastrophic consequences.
In the wake of the mob’s attack, President-elect Joe Biden has demanded that Trump appear on national television to ‘honor his oath and defend the Constitution and put an end to this siege’. Perhaps ashamed of Biden’s speech, Trump delivered a shaky mixed message urging people to go home peacefully, while reiterating his unfounded allegations that the election was stolen. He told those involved in the attack that ‘we love you’.
But Trump’s tweets were not necessarily the worst part of his response. It seems that the Commander-in-Chief has abdicated his primary responsibilities to Congress and the nation. The immediate response appears to have been directed by Vice President Mike Pence. Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller announced that he and Milley of the joint chiefs had talked to the vice president as well as congressional leaders about how to respond to the situation.
The report of the 9/11 Commission argued that one of the failures revealed by the 2001 terrorist attack was a failure of ‘imagination’. It could also at least partially explain the terrible lack of readiness of federal agencies to handle the protest. No one could ‘think’ that a serving president of the United States would encourage an uproarious crowd to march to the Capitol. But that’s exactly what Trump did. His speech during the “Save America” march was preceded by infectious remarks by both Rudy Giuliani and his son, Don Jr. Giuliani urged the crowd to settle the election “dispute” with a “trial by a fight”. The younger Trump resigns the “red-blooded, patriotic Americans” in the crowd and insists on “fighting for Donald Trump” and threatening Republican lawmakers who do not support his father. Trump senior then called for the crowd to ‘fight’ and ‘show strength’. He said he would lead them in the march to the Capitol and promised to ‘never concede’.
Some actions were taken before the planned protest action. Mayor Muriel Bowser warned citizens to stay away from downtown and requested the Pentagon site around 340 DC National Guardsman on warning – a request approved by the Pentagon a few days ahead of time. The security of the country’s capital is complicated due to overlapping jurisdictions between local government and federal agencies. While a governor has direct control over their respective state guards, but the guard in Washington is under the control of the federal government, not the mayor. Federal agencies retain the primary responsibility for securing the Capitol.
But overall, the lack of preparation by these organizations was astounding. Right-wing groups openly discussed to carry out a violent protest. These sites are regularly monitored by federal law enforcement agencies. Larry Schaefer, a Capitol police veteran for more than 34 years, remarked: ‘We have a planned, well-known demonstration that is prone to violence in the past and threats to carry weapons – why not prepare yourself as in the past? ”
Unlike during the unrest following the assassination of George Floyd, the Department of Homeland Security (HLS) did not plan to deploy Customs and Border Protection agents to the demonstrations. They only planned for a modest ‘quick response’. In fact, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf was in Bahrain. The Department of Justice has positioned only about 100 trained officers from the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington as a ‘reserve capacity’. There is also no evidence that other federal agencies such as the secret service or the US Park Police have been deployed, as during previous protests.
Clearly, these efforts were inadequate, reflecting an inaccurate threat assessment and poor coordination between city and federal officials. As for the latter, federal and local officials were still smiling over the militarized response to the mostly peaceful protests in June. One senior (and anonymous) Pentagon official told the Washington Post, “Everyone has a lot of scar tissue and a lot of PTSD because of the domestic unrest of the summer,” and no one wanted to repeat it. He added: “We have learned our lessons and will absolutely not be anywhere near the Capitol building.”
The Capitol was finally clearly declared late Wednesday night because lawmakers worked in the early hours of the morning to complete their score on the election post. But in the long run, our opponents in Moscow, Beijing and Tehran were delighted with a spectacle that clearly undermines the image of American democracy around the world. Our allies were certainly terrified. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson described it as ‘Shameful.’
The finger pointing has already begun, which is predictable and perhaps necessary. The lack of readiness requires accountability. In the aftermath, a congressional inquiry is needed to determine whether the failure of federal agencies was merely a matter of incompetence or something more purposeful by senior administration officials.
But it is clear that Trump wanted a confrontation. He urged the crowd to attack the Capitol, and did very little to stop the violence once the riot began.
The most terrifying two weeks in recent memory occurred in October 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. President John F. Kennedy said at the time that the possibility of nuclear war and the destruction of the nation was even likely. But it was an external threat – and the country flocked in response.
The approximately two weeks between now and Inauguration Day can be just as frightening. Coronavirus is strong, and many Americans face a dire economic future. Tensions in the Middle East are still rising. The agreement between the US and the Taliban in Afghanistan unraveled. North Korea probably has more nuclear weapons now than when Trump took office. The United States has just suffered one of the biggest cyber attacks in our history and once again Russia is the culprit.
In response to these enormous challenges, our president is turning around, focusing only on how to escape reality. This moment could be the greatest internal threat to our security and democracy in American history. President Abraham Lincoln once remarked: ‘At what point, then, is the approach to danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reaches us, it must arise among us. It can not come from abroad. If destruction is our part, we must we must be the author and finish it. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all times or die by suicide. ‘
In one of his last tweets on Wednesday, Trump urged his supporters to “remember this day forever.” All Americans and the entire world will always remember this day, but not for the reasons Trump thinks.