DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has called for a “pre-disaster declaration” for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in order to increase security following the deadly US Capitol riots.
“We believe strongly that the 59th Presidential Inauguration on January 20 will require a very different approach than previous inaugurations given the chaos, injury, and death experienced at the United States Capitol during the insurrection,” Bowser wrote in a letter Saturday to Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security.
Bowser — who did not request federal law enforcement backup ahead of the Capitol Hill mayhem — also asked for a “pre-disaster declaration” for the inauguration amid “new threats from insurgent acts of domestic terrorists.”
“This declaration will enhance and direct federal assistance needed to prepare for the Inauguration,” wrote Bowser.
Bowser is facing criticism for the district’s lack of preparedness ahead of the invasion on Capitol Hill that killed five people.
The Democrat defended a Jan. 5 letter that
