The U.S. government has announced that it will increase security for Congress’ certification of the November 5 election result —due on January 6, to avoid history repeating itself in the form of the 2021 attack on the Capitol by supporters of Republican former President Donald Trump.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security had in a statement on Wednesday, designated the congressional certification of the election as a “national special security event.”
The Republican presidential candidate Trump, will be facing Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in what polls have revealed will be a tight election race.
The “national special security event” designation allows the federal government, state and local resources to be dedicated to the security operation, while also putting the Secret Service in charge of the security plan.
Why It Matters
Trump lost the 2020 election to Democratic President, Joe Biden but then falsely claimed victory. For weeks after his loss, he encouraged the congress to not certify the election result.
His supporters additionally stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in a failed attempt to prevent the Congress from certifying Biden’s win. Trump’s reported role was investigated by a congressional panel and he has been charged over accusations of unlawfully trying to overturn his 2020 election loss.
