Leaders of the Michigan Legislature canceled next week’s session on Friday, citing “credible threats” scheduled to take place in Lansing and across the country.
An internal FBI bulletin several days before warned that armed protests were being planned at all 50 state capitols in the days leading up to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. The FBI also reportedly received information about a group calling for a “storming” of local, state, and federal government buildings should President Trump be removed from office before the end of his term.
“The Michigan State Police, as well as House and Senate sergeants at arms, have expressed concern over credible threats regarding events scheduled to take place at and around the state Capitol next week,” Michigan House Speaker Jason Wentworth said in a statement, according to WILX 10. “We have decided to act in an abundance of caution by not holding session in either the House or the Senate on January 19-21. We hope everyone stays safe and respects the peaceful transition of power, and we hope legislators and staff at the Capitol take time to thank the team of police officers and sergeants who work together to keep us all safe.”
Workers in Lansing had already begun constructing 6-foot fencing around the Capitol on Friday, according to the Detroit Free Press, in anticipation of demonstrations and potential violence similar to the chaos that broke out in Washington on Jan. 6, when pro-Trump protesters breached the Capitol building. Five people died as a result.
“As we have said before, the riot at the U.S. Capitol last week was a terrible moment for our country,” Wentworth continued. “We must be better than this as a nation, and that begins this week with what will hopefully remain peaceful protests and demonstrations in Washington, D.C., Lansing and around the country.”
Michigan State Police Chief Joe Gasper told reporters Friday that authorities have already increased the number of state troopers around the Capitol and would maintain an increased presence until mid-February.
“The role of law enforcement is to protect these rights by providing a safe forum for everyone to the best of our ability,” Gasper said. “When it comes to public demonstrations, protection of people and property is the No. 1 focus and mission for law enforcement.”
Authorities in the nation’s capital are taking extreme precautions through Trump’s final days in office, with as many as 20,000 National Guard troops activated leading up to Inauguration Day. Both the FBI and the Secret Service have issued separate warnings of “domestic violent extremists” who have rallied around the death of Trump supporter and QAnon adherent Ashli Babbitt, who died during the Capitol Hill breach.
The FBI warned that followers of an online movement called the “boogaloo” might “exploit the aftermath of the Capitol breach by conducting attacks to destabilize and force a climactic conflict in the United States.”
