Washington (CNN) Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said Monday evening that law enforcement needs to take the upcoming right-wing rally in support of jailed January 6 rioters "very seriously" as concerns mount about more potential violence on Capitol Hill.
"I think they should take it very seriously. In fact, they should take it more seriously than they took the same sort of intelligence that they likely saw on January 5," McCabe, a CNN contributor, told CNN's Poppy Harlow on "Erin Burnett OutFront."
Law enforcement members in Washington are steeling themselves against possible unrest at the "Justice for J6" rally -- planned for September 18 -- which aims to support the insurrectionists charged in the riot.
The event, organized by a former Trump campaign staffer, has prompted security concerns on Capitol Hill, and some precautionary measures will be in place. However, it's unclear how many protesters plan to attend. The rally is also taking place on a Saturday, when the House will be on recess, so far fewer lawmakers or staff will be around.
A law enforcement source previously told CNN that the Metropolitan Police Department will be fully activated, which includes canceling days off for sworn officers and putting Civil Disturbance Units on standby. The source said the department will monitor open source information -- like online chatter and travel bookings -- to gauge the potential crowds.
Squidwards-the-goat on September 7th, 2021 at 04:56 UTC »
The FBI has warned of the dangers of right wing extremists. We should have taken January 6th much more seriously. There are a lot of crazies out there. We’d better take this one seriously too.
Thirstyass73 on September 7th, 2021 at 04:01 UTC »
They should fence off the Capitol early in the morning the day of. When traitors arrive they'll notice national guard troops on the other side and deam their efforts a lost cause, making all of their travel cost a hit in the pocketbook.
Lurkerphobia on September 7th, 2021 at 03:01 UTC »
They should prepare like its 10 black men walking down the street. I'm guessing they'd roll the national guard out for that.