Next year’s Jan. 6 election certification will get extra security to prevent another riot
WASHINGTON — In an attempt to prevent another riot like the one on January 6, 2021The Secretary of Homeland Security has designated the counting of votes in Congress and the certification of the presidential election as a national special security measure overseen by the Secret Service.
The national conventions of both political parties, the presidential inauguration and the UN General Assembly have already received this designation, but this is the first time that the January 6 vote count and certification have received this designation.
The secret service said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas has made this designation at the request of the mayor of Washington, DC The measure means that these are high-profile events that could be targets for terrorists or criminals.
The Secret Service is responsible for security for such events in a planning process that begins many months in advance. A steering committee for the Jan. 6 certification was formed and will meet in the coming weeks, the Secret Service said.
The aim is to improve planning and coordination, especially when it comes to mobilizing resources within the federal government.
“National Special Security Events are events of the highest national significance,” Eric Ranaghan, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Dignitary Protective Division, said in a statement. The agency and its 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,” he said.
Rioters attempt to overturn 2020 election results descended on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021. They scaled walls, smashed windows, beat up police and chased lawmakers in the halls of Congress. About 140 police officers were injured that day. One officer collapsed and died. Four others later died by suicide. A Trump supporter who tried to climb through a broken window was shot dead by authorities.
Following the riots, 1,500 criminal cases were brought to court, with more than 900 people pleading guilty and about 200 people being convicted.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Thursday that House Democrats “are committed to protecting democracy, we are committed to free and fair elections, and we are committed to the peaceful transition of power that will begin on January 6th.”
When asked if the special security designation was necessary, he said that given what happened in 2021, “and the refusal of many extreme MAGA Republicans to prevent something like this from ever happening again … this designation by national security professionals seems to have been necessary.”
It’s a high-profile job for an agency struggling to defend its reputation after the attempted assassination of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The Secret Service has been criticized for failing to secure the building where Thomas Matthew Crooks climbed and opened fire as Trump spoke, a bullet hitting Trump in the ear. The agency’s director, Kim Cheatle, resigned after a heated congressional hearing, and the agency’s decisions and planning have been the subject of multiple investigations.
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AP reporter Lisa Mascaro contributed reporting.