WASHINGTON – Rioters are facing consequences two days after a mob incited by President Donald Trump breached the U.S. Capitol in a violent attack that left the nation on edge and resulted in the death of police officer Brian Sicknick.
A rioter seen sitting at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's desk has been arrested and charged. A photo of Richard Barnett, 60, of Gravette, Arkansas, with his feet up on the Speaker's desk went viral. Additionally, Republican Del. Derrick Evans, who recorded video of himself storming the Capitol, has been charged for his role, according to the Department of Justice.
Later Friday, Twitter also announced the permanent suspension of Trump's Twitter account.
Meanwhile, security concerns about President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration loom.
Inauguration Day in any era poses one of the most enormous security challenges for law enforcement. Fear of more violence is already top of mind: Following Wednesday's riot, ADL (formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League) said extremists have begun plotting their next coup attempt for Jan. 20.
Also on Friday, Trump announced he would not attend Biden's inauguration. In the overnight hours, he had posted a video to social media acknowledging his defeat and saying there would be a smooth transfer of power between administrations.
For the latest developments, keep refreshing this page. Here's what to know:
►The death of a U.S. Capitol Police officer who was injured in Wednesday's riot is being investigated as a homicide by federal and local authorities. Any criminal charges related to Officer Brian Sicknick's death will be federal because the events leading up to it happened on federal property, an official with knowledge of the matter said.
►House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has ordered the flags at the Capitol to be flown at half-staff to honor Sicknick. She also said Friday she had talked with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, the country’s highest-ranking military officer, about taking precautions to prevent "an unstable" President Donald Trump from launching a nuclear strike.
►Thousands of National Guard troops were to arrive in Washington by the weekend and remain through Biden's inauguration. Other stepped-up security measures include a "non-scalable" fence around the Capitol grounds.
►Acknowledging President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory in his strongest words yet, President Trump called for a smooth transition of power in a video statement late Thursday. He stopped short of conceding the election but acknowledged that the nation had “just been through an intense election and emotions are high.” Friday, he said he would not attend Biden's inauguration.
►U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, whose department was severely criticized for its flawed response to Wednesday's attack, resigned Thursday. Also out: Senate Sergeant at Arms Michael Stenger and House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for their resignations.
►What we're reading:Lawmakers prepared to fight or be killed as Trump mob attacked the Capitol: "This is our house, and we're gonna protect it."
Twitter permanently suspends Trump
Twitter on Friday permanently banned President Trump, citing the risk that he would incite further violence.
"After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence," the company said late Friday.
Twitter, which had locked Trump out of his account Wednesday for inflammatory posts after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, lifted the suspension the following day. Trump's account had 88 million followers.
His final tweet, posted Friday morning was, "To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th."
Twitter is the latest social media platform to take action against Trump. Facebook has banned the president for at least two weeks, and possibly indefinitely. Instagram has also blocked Trump's ability to post.
– Jessica Guynn USA TODAY
Officer who died after pro-Trump riot was veteran
The U.S. Capitol Police officer who died Thursday from injures he suffered during the pro-Trump riot that breached the U.S. Capitol, was both a veteran and war critic, and the youngest of three sons from New Jersey.
Brian D. Sicknick, 42, died after the attack on the federal building. He was a South River native who served in the New Jersey Air National Guard, but later lamented America's war in Iraq.
Praise for his service poured in from elected officials. And a Capitol Hill staffer who worked with him recalled fond memories of his compassionate behavior, "kind face" and love of fishing.
Police have not confirmed the circumstances of Sicknick’s death. According to two law enforcement officials who spoke to the Associated Press, Sicknick was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher. Read more about Sicknick.
Man photographed behind Pelosi’s desk arrested; W.Va. delegate charged
Richard Barnett, an Arkansas man who was photographed lounging in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office, was charged with entering and remaining on restricted grounds, violent entry and theft, federal officials announced Friday. Authorities said Barnett, who has been arrested, took some materials from Pelosi's office.
The 60-year-old Arkansas contractor, nicknamed “Bigo,” bragged on camera outside the Capitol about how he was escorted out, but not arrested.
Barnett identified himself as a resident of Gravette, Arkansas in an interview with the New York Times outside of the Capitol building. In the same interview, he said he left a quarter in Pelosi's office in exchange for the envelope he took, and therefore his actions shouldn't be classified as theft.
Additionally, a West Virginia state lawmaker has been charged with entering a restricted area of the U.S. Capitol after he livestreamed himself with rioters, the Justice Department announced Friday.
"We are far from done. The rioting and destruction we saw will not be tolerated by the FBI ... We will continue to investigate all allegations of criminal activity," said Steven D'Antuono, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington office. "Just because you've left the D.C. region, you can still expect a knock on the door if we find out that you were part of the criminal activity at the Capitol."
Trump to skip Biden inauguration; ADL warns extremists have Jan. 20 in their sights
President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Friday that he will not attend Joe Biden’s inauguration Jan. 20.
Trump’s decision to skip Biden’s swearing-in ceremony comes just a day after the ADL (formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League) warned that extremists have already begun plotting their next coup attempt targeting Inauguration Day. These preparations, which began long before Wednesday’s violence at the Capitol, are taking place on social media forums, including Twitter and YouTube, and on fringe forums popular with extremists.
The Secret Service, which oversees inaugural security, said Thursday that security plans have been in development for more than a year "to anticipate and prepare for all possible contingencies."
President-elect Joe Biden expressed confidence Wednesday.
"I am not concerned about my safety, security, or the inauguration," Biden told reporters just hours after the siege at the Capitol forced Vice President Mike Pence and other top leaders to be whisked away to safety. "I'm not concerned. The American people are going to stand up, stand up now. Enough is enough is enough."
– Kevin Johnson and Jessica Guynn
Capitol rioters are being identified and losing their jobs
As the FBI seeks information on those who instigated violence at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, some rioters have been identified through images and video shared on social media — and some have lost their jobs or been placed on leave as a result.
Some notable examples include:
- Attorney Paul Davis, who shared video of himself saying “we’re all trying to get into the Capitol to stop this,” is no longer employed at Goosehead Insurance according to a tweet from the Texas company Thursday.
- Former Pennsylvania state representative Rick Saccone resigned from his position as an adjunct professor at Saint Vincent College after he shared images on Facebook of himself outside the Capitol. The school immediately began an investigation and as a result, Saccone “will no longer be associated with Saint Vincent College in any capacity,” according to a statement from Michael Hustava, the institution's Senior Director of Marketing and Communications.
- Libby Andrews, an agent at a Chicago real estate brokerage firm, was fired when the company received a “tremendous amount of outreach” after she admitted on social media to “storming the Capitol.”
- Brad Rukstales, who told CBS Chicago that he was inside the Capitol, has been placed on a leave of absence from Cogensia, an Illinois marketing firm where he served as CEO according to a statement from the company.
Many at the Capitol riot shared images of themselves online, but federal authorities and Internet sleuths are attempting to identify others. The FBI’s Washington field office has tweeted dozens of images of rioters on Thursday and asked the public to help identify them.
Under heavy criticism, Trump calls for 'smooth transition of power'
President Donald Trump on Thursday acknowledged President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in his strongest words yet as he faces mounting criticism for his handling of the violence that erupted a day earlier at the U.S. Capitol.
“A new administration will be inaugurated on Jan. 20,” Trump said in a video posted on Twitter late Thursday. “My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power. This moment calls for healing and reconciliation.”
Trump stopped short of conceding the election but acknowledged that the nation had “just been through an intense election and emotions are high.” He said “tempers must be cooled and calm restored.”
The video, one of several Trump has posted from the White House in recent weeks, was the latest effort to get a hold of the fallout from the chaos that unfolded Wednesday when a mob attacked the Capitol and disrupted the counting of Electoral College votes. He has been criticized from members of both parties for whipping up a crowd of supporters at a rally near the White House minutes before the Capitol was overrun.
Earlier Thursday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany condemned the violence in brief remarks from the White House and reiterated the administration’s commitment to a peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 20.
— John Fritze and Courtney Subramanian
Biden, Black lawmakers, DC residents decry police response
In Washington, a city long shaped by hardworking Black Americans and immigrants, the terror unfolded at home, forcing residents to lock themselves behind closed doors or commute from work through downtown streets filled with throngs of white supremacists and law enforcement officials who have often been openly hostile toward their communities.
D.C. resident Nicole Holliday, 33, who is Black, noted the stark distinction between how people were treated by police on Wednesday compared to Black protesters over the summer during Black Lives Matter protests, when mostly peaceful demonstrators were greeted with armed law enforcement officers, tear gas and state-sanctioned violence.
"If these people were Black, they would be dead before they got to the building," she said.
Residents also noted they had feared for the Black and brown essential workers in the district who still had to get home from work after Wednesday's curfew. COVID-19, which disproportionately affects people of color, and the possibility of the largely maskless crowds leading to a superspreader event, is also a significant worry.
– Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, N'dea Yancey-Bragg, Ryan W. Miller
FBI offers $50K reward for information on pipe bomb suspect
The FBI released a photo of a suspect and offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the location, arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for pipe bombs found at the RNC and DNC headquarters on Wednesday.
The person in the photo released by the FBI's Washington field office is masked, wearing a hoodie and gloves.
The FBI previously said it was "seeking information that will assist in identifying individuals who are actively instigating violence in Washington, D.C." The agency said it was looking for tips and recordings depicting the rioting and violence.
"If you have witnessed unlawful violent actions, we urge you to submit any information, photos, or videos that could be relevant at fbi.gov/USCapitol," the agency said.
Details on other deaths, violence stemming from riot
D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee said Thursday two men and one woman died in “separate medical emergencies.” At least 14 of Contee's officers were injured during the demonstrations, he said. Two pipe bombs were recovered, one at the Democratic National Committee and the other one at the Republican National Committee.
Police identified the woman shot and killed during the riot as Ashli Babbitt, 35, of San Diego, who was a military veteran. The other three who perished were Benjamin Phillips, 50, from Ringtown, Pennsylvania; Kevin Greeson, 55, from Athens, Alabama; and Rosanne Boyland, 34, from Kennesaw, Georgia. Contee said Thursday all three died on Capitol grounds, but he didn't specify how.
Graphic videos of the shooting show Babbitt wore a Trump flag as a cape as she tried to crawl through a broken window, flanked by other rioters. A single shot rang out, and she fell to the floor bleeding from an apparent neck wound.
Contributing: Kristine Phillips, John Fritze, Courtney Subramanian, Christal Hayes, Ledyard King; Associated Press
