Trump is not responsible for the insurrection on Capitol Hill 0:52
Washington (CNN) -
Thousands of armed pro-Donald Trump extremists are plotting to surround the U.S. Capitol before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, according to a member of Congress who was among those briefed Monday night on a series of new threats against legislators and the Capitol itself.
"They were talking about 4,000 'patriots' armed to surround the Capitol and prevent any Democrat from entering," Rep. Conor Lamb, a Pennsylvania Democrat, told CNN's Alisyn Camerota on "New Day."
“They have published participation rules, that is, when you shoot and when you don't.
So this is an organized group that has a plan.
They are committed to doing what they are doing because I think in their minds, you know, they are patriots and they are talking about 1776 and now this is a contest of who can do more.
He continued: “We are not negotiating or reasoning with these people.
They have to be processed.
They have to be stopped.
And sadly, that includes the president, so he needs to be impeached and removed from office.
Monday's briefing came after an FBI bulletin that warned that "armed protests" were being planned in all 50 state capitals and Washington, and provides the latest sense of a heightened state of alarm among lawmakers and law enforcement officials. enforce the law after last week's deadly siege on America's Capitol.
Two Democratic lawmakers who participated in the briefing told CNN that they were presented with various scenarios on Monday in a call and that officials were taking the threats very seriously.
An effort was made to emphasize how different security is right now, the members said.
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«They are very strong when we are weak.
That's when mob psychology takes hold and they get emboldened, but if they meet a determined force, I think a lot of these fantasy world beliefs about what will happen when they come to Washington are going to melt, "said one of the members.
This legislator added that they hope that the National Guard troops that are being sent to the capital will be examined, because although the legislators trust most of them, many will come from all over the country.
Intensify security prior to taking office
The congressional inauguration commission said Tuesday it would initiate a special security event on Wednesday and informed those on Capitol Hill to expect a significant presence from the Police and National Guard as part of security measures in layers.
In Washington itself, security measures are being intensified, and federal, state and local law enforcement agencies are bracing for the possibility of more violence.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday urged Americans to avoid the city during Biden's inauguration next week and participate virtually, referring at a press conference to "very extreme factions in our country that are armed and they are dangerous".
At the mayor's request, Trump approved an emergency declaration for the city ahead of the ceremony.
In addition to warning of possibly more armed demonstrations by right-wing groups in the coming days, the FBI is tracking reports of "various threats to harm President-elect Biden prior to the presidential inauguration," the bulletin says.
Additional reports indicate threats against Vice President-elect Harris and Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.
When asked if Biden should continue with plans to do a traditional overseas inauguration, given the information he has received, Lamb said that if Biden wants to have an overseas inauguration, he will be there by his side.