GOP Rep. McCaul: Trump has ‘responsibility’ to tell supporters ‘stand down’ on March 4 threat

U.S. Capitol Police earlier on Wednesday released a rare statement about a security threat for Thursday, saying that the “Department is aware of and prepared for any potential threats towards members of Congress or towards the Capitol complex.”

CAPITOL POLICE AWARE OF ‘POSSIBLE PLOT TO BREACH THE CAPITOL’ ON MARCH 4

“We have obtained intelligence that shows a possible plot to breach the Capitol by an identified militia group on Thursday, March 4,” the Capitol Police statement said.

March 4 is a date that has been circling in internet conspiracy theory circles, including followers of the QAnon theory and those who believe that Trump is the true winner of the 2020 election.

“This threat is credible. And it’s real,” McCaul said. “Because the original inaugural date was March 4, until the 20th Amendment passed, [they think] this is the true Inauguration Day and President Trump should be inaugurated tomorrow.”

House Democratic leaders late Wednesday afternoon canceled plans to be in session on Thursday, reportedly in response to the Thursday threat, and will instead vote on criminal justice reform legislation on Wednesday evening. The Senate, which is considering a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, is still scheduled to be in session.

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If Trump did speak up to tell his supporters to stand down, it would be a very different tactic than he took on Jan. 6 ahead of the Capitol breach, the day that Congress accepted the results of the 2020 election, when he spoke at a “Stop the Steal” rally and pressured former Vice President Mike Pence to stop the certification of results, a power that Pence said he did not have.