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A2 UP FRONT
Friday 15 January 2021

National Guard troops flooding in as Washington locks down

Continued from Front sure hate group members
are not part of the Airbnb
The FBI has warned that community."
armed protests by violent On the ground, much of
Trump supporters were be- the most visible security will
ing planned in all 50 state come in the form of the Na-
capitals as well as in Wash- tional Guard troops, some
ington for the days leading of them armed. Pentagon
up to the inauguration of officials approved requests
President-elect Joe Biden. to have some of them carry
Between the pandemic either long guns or hand-
and the security threat, guns, particularly those as-
Bowser is flat-out asking signed near the Capitol
people not to come to building. The officials spoke
the District of Columbia for on condition of anonymity
the inauguration. And at to discuss security details.
Bowser's request, a Nation- National Guard members
al Special Security Event operate under strict rules of
declaration was moved engagement on the use of
up to Jan. 13, a distinction force. But generally speak-
she said "puts in place an ing, troops can use lethal
entirely different command force to protect the lives of
and control structure" for Members of the National Guard walk past the Dome of the Capitol Building on Capitol Hill in others and themselves.
security. Washington, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. D.C. Police Chief Rob-
The NSSE status is normal for Associated Press ert Contee estimated
a presidential inauguration the downtown area entire- al to wear facemasks dur- emergency order and Wednesday that more
and other major events like ly, and the city announced ing the pandemic. Several close all hotels in the city." than 20,000 National Guard
an international summit or that 13 Metro stations inside downtown hotels, including On Wednesday, Airbnb an- members would be active
the Super Bowl. But it's rare the security perimeter will one which had become nounced it was canceling in the city on Inauguration
to start the lockdown so far shut down for several days. a favorite hangout of the all reservations in the Wash- Day. But officials said Thurs-
in advance of the event. Bowser is also being militant Proud Boy faction, ington metro area. Bowser day that law enforcement
Police vehicles sealed off pushed to deny lodging chose to avoid trouble by said she had been in regu- had requested many more,
a huge swath of down- options to potentially vio- closing last week. lar contact with Airbnb of- and the number approved
town D.C. on Wednesday, lent protesters. The local "Closing hotels completely ficials since last week, but by the Pentagon is now
causing immediate traffic Black Lives Matter affiliate for these six nights is the did not specifically request 21,000.
snarls. Starting Wednesday, and Shutdown DC issued only way to guarantee this step. As of Thursday, there were
Bowser said, anyone inside a joint statement Wednes- the safety of hotel workers, "We are aware of reports roughly 7,000 already in the
the inauguration perime- day urging all downtown neighbors, vulnerable and emerging yesterday af- city, with thousands more
ter might be stopped and hotels to voluntarily close unhoused residents, incom- ternoon regarding armed en route. The length of their
questioned. Starting Friday, and pay their staffs. In ad- ing administration officials, militias and known hate missions may vary, but De-
all parking garages in the dition to the threat of vio- members of Congress, and groups that are attempt- fense Department officials
downtown restricted zone lence, the activist groups our democracy," the state- ing to travel and disrupt the were authorized to deploy
will be sealed through the say Trump supporters are a ment said. "If hotels do not Inauguration," a company the Guard for up to 30 days
inauguration. Bowser is ask- threat to the health of hotel willingly close, we ask May- statement said. "We are for the inauguration and
ing D.C. residents to avoid staff for their general refus- or Bowser to extend today's continuing our work to en- surrounding protests.q

Unclear who presides at Trump trial if he’s out of office

subject to interpretation. trial is that the person who and treat a former presi-
If President Donald Trump's otherwise presides over the dent the same as a sitting
trial begins after Jan. 20, Senate is the vice president president."
it's not clear whether Chief — the very person who University of Texas law pro-
Justice John Roberts would would assume the presi- fessor Steven Vladeck said
make his way to the Sen- dency if the chief execu- the chief justice is the bet-
ate chamber as he did last tive is convicted. That's a ter choice. The House on
year for Trump's first trial. bit unseemly. Wednesday impeached
Impeachment scholars, But if the stakes are the president, not the for-
law professors and politi- changed and the sitting mer president, Vladeck
cal scientists offer differing vice president no longer wrote on Twitter.
views. stands to get the top job, "Indeed, if Trump resigned
The choices appear to be why not have Harris, who (or his term ended) mid-
In this Feb. 3, 2020 file image from video, presiding officer Chief Roberts, Kamala Harris, by then will have taken trial, it would be more than
Justice of the United States John Roberts speaks as closing who by then will be vice over for Mike Pence, pre- a little odd for the Chief
arguments in the impeachment trial against President Donald president, or Sen. Patrick side? Justice to give way to the
Trump begin in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Associated Press Leahy, D-Vt., who will be Whittington said he thinks Vice President. The ques-
the Senate's president pro that could happen, "as tion should be whether
By MARK SHERMAN impeachment trial of a tem once the Democrats with the impeachment of the impeached officer
Associated Press president. But what about gain control of the Senate. any officer other than the was President at the time
WASHINGTON (AP) — The an ex-president? One reason that the Con- president." But he said he of impeachment. Here, he
Constitution says the chief Like so much else about the stitution specifies the chief "can imagine that the Sen- was, so Roberts presides,"
justice is to preside at the Constitution, the answer is justice to run the president's ate might go the other way Vladeck wrote.q