D.C. mayor asks DHS to enhance, extend inauguration ceremony security

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser wants her city to be better prepared for President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony on Jan. 20 than it was last Wednesday when a mob of President Trump's supporters stormed the United States Capitol, resulting in five deaths.

On Sunday, Bowser sent acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf a letter asking the department to extend the National Special Security Event period set to cover the Inauguration between Jan. 19-21, to Jan. 11-24. She also wrote that D.C. is requesting a pre-disaster declaration, which would "expedite and enhance" federal assistance, adding that she is urging federal agencies, including the Pentagon and the Justice Department, to coordinate with Congress and the Supreme Court so they can establish a federal force deployment strategy, freeing up the Metropolitan Police Department to "focus on its local mission."

Finally, Bowser asked the Department of the Interior to cancel or refuse to grant "any and all" public gathering permits in the nation's capital during the potentially extended security event period. Tim O'Donnell

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