Muriel Bowser Says Washington Security Will See ‘New Normal’ After Biden Inauguration

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said Friday that even after the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20 the city will maintain heightened security in light of last week’s Capitol riots.

Bowser made the remarks during a briefing to discuss the city’s and federal agencies’ security plans ahead of and on Inauguration Day, saying that the level of preparation and execution for the event is “unprecedented.”

The nation’s capital on Friday continued to boost security by shutting down access to iconic landmarks and erecting vehicle checkpoints at a security perimeter surrounding central Washington. Officials have said they expect the number of National Guard troops to rise to 25,000 in the city, a number that could still increase even further.

The heightened security posture follows the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol.

“We cannot allow a recurrence of the chaos and illegal activity that the United States and the world witnessed last week,” Matthew Miller, the head of the Secret Service’s Washington field office, told reporters.

Asked if the extensive security measures around Washington would be reversed after the inauguration, Bowser said, “We are going to go back to a new normal.”

“We certainly have to think about a new posture in the city,” she said, adding, “So while we are focused on January the 20th, we are also focused on January the 21st and every day thereafter in the nation’s capital.”

“I think our entire country is going to have to deal with how our intelligence apparatus, security apparatus at every level deal with a very real and present threat to our nation,” she said.

Bowser’s announcement comes one day after the release of a joint security bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and eight other agencies, noting an elevated security risk following the Capi... (Read more)

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