Congress will get increased federal security on Jan. 6 for first election certification since US Capitol attack
By Holmes Lybrand, CNN
(CNN) — When members of Congress meet on Capitol Hill to certify the electoral votes in the 2024 presidential election, the process, on the anniversary of the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack, will have the full weight of the federal government behind its security.
The certification process on January 6, 2025, was designated as a national special security event by the Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas in the last week following a request from Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser, according to the US Secret Service.
The designation is reserved for significant events – including the Super Bowl, presidential inaugurations and this summer’s NATO summit – where security is required on a mass scale. Security for these events include a heightened level of officers on the ground, broader security perimeters and the implementation of technology to detect potential material used in weapons of mass destruction. The FBI will also be involved in monitoring for any threats around the event in the months prior.
The Secret Service, which manages the security operations for events under the NSSE designation, announced the decision Wednesday, noting that various congressional reports, including from the House select committee that investigated the January 6, 2021, attack, had recommended the designation.
The Washington Post first reported on the designation.
US Capitol Police have been planning for the 2025 certification ever since the attack on the Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump in 2020, with a more significant focus – including meetings and other planning exercises – over the last year, one source familiar with the planning told CNN.
Over 140 officers were injured during the Capitol riot, according to officials, and the US Attorney in DC has charged more than 1,500 people so far with crimes related to with the attack.
The Capitol Police Inauguration Task Force, which also handles security planning for January 6, had already been in the process of sharing security plans with law enforcement partners including DC’s Metropolitan Police Department and has now begun sharing those plans with federal partners as well, the source told CNN.
The source told CNN that agencies are still in the early stages of determining the security measures that will be in place for the Electoral College certification.
“National Special Security Events are events of the highest national significance,” Eric Ranaghan, the special agent in charge of the USSS Dignitary Protective Division, said in a statement announcing the designation.
Ranaghan continued: “The U.S. Secret Service, in collaboration with our federal, state, and local partners are committed to developing and implementing a comprehensive and integrated security plan to ensure the safety and security of this event and its participants.”
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