D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser had declared a state of emergency
in the city on Wednesday in the aftermath of the takeover of the Capitol by
rioters incited by Trump. Reports of further planned violent demonstrations
have continued to circulate ahead of Inauguration Day, and Trump’s order on
Monday allows the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency
Management Agency to assist the city in any emergency response.
Details of the violent Capitol attack have become
increasingly clear in the days since a mob broke into the building, and
Democrats and Republicans alike expressed concern about a similar security
breach on or leading up to Jan. 20. By the weekend after the Capitol Hill
attack, five people had died in connection to the riots.
Bowser had written to acting Secretary of Homeland Security
Chad Wolf on Sunday, urging the administration to recognize a pre-disaster
declaration in the city in preparation for Inauguration Day. She had also
requested in her letter to extend the U.S. Secret Service’s National Special
Security Event for the inauguration from Jan. 11 through Jan. 24 instead of the
previously planned Jan. 19-21. DHS announced on Monday that it was expanding
the period to begin Jan. 13.
Wolf announced he was stepping down from his position
shortly before Trump’s declaration on Monday, citing ongoing problems
surrounding his appointment. An administration official told POLITICO that he
was also motivated to step down after the Capitol Hill attack. Wolf had issued
a statement the day after the attack urging Trump to condemn the violence. “Any
appearance of inciting violence by an elected official goes against who we are
as Americans,” it read.
Wolf had intended to stay in his position through the end of
the administration to ensure a safe transition to Biden’s team, but he wrote on
Monday that he felt confident the transfer would go smoothly.
When asked by reporters Monday whether Biden was scared of
taking his oath of office outdoors in light of the recent violence, Biden
responded, “No, I am not.”