海角大神

The聽violent insurrection at the United States Capitol聽is intensifying scrutiny over security at the upcoming inauguration ceremony for President-elect Joe Biden that already has been reshaped by the pandemic聽and the news that President Donald Trump will not attend.

Mr. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will take the oath of office from the Capitol鈥檚 West Front, one of the locations where a violent mob overpowered聽police and stormed the building. They also scaled and occupied the scaffolding and bleachers in place for the ceremonies.

Plans for the Jan. 20 inauguration were already scaled back聽because of the coronavirus. But the brazen attack raises new questions about preparedness for the event that will welcome the new administration after a bitter聽election.

The congressional leaders responsible for coordinating the inauguration insisted Thursday night that events will move forward.

鈥淵esterday was a sad and solemn day for our country,鈥� said Sens. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. 鈥淭he outrageous attack on the Capitol, however,聽will not stop us from affirming to Americans 鈥� and the world 鈥� that our democracy endures.鈥�

鈥淭he great American tradition of an inaugural ceremony has occurred in times of peace, in times of turmoil, in times of prosperity, and in times of adversity,鈥澛爐hey continued. 鈥淲e will be swearing in President-elect Biden.鈥�

Mr. Trump said Friday he won鈥檛 attend President-elect Joe Biden鈥檚 inauguration on Jan. 20, undercutting his message a day earlier that he would work to ensure a 鈥渟mooth, orderly and seamless transition of power鈥� to his successor.

Mr. Trump offered no clues for how he would spent his final hours in office, and will be the first incumbent president in 152 years to skip his successor鈥檚 swearing-in. The outgoing president has skipped the incoming president鈥檚 swearing-in only three聽times in U.S. history, the last being Andrew Johnson. Traditionally, the incoming and outgoing presidents ride to the U.S. Capitol together for the ceremony, as a symbol of the nation鈥檚 peaceful transition.聽Vice President Mike Pence plans to attend the ceremony.

Security forces have already begun taking extra precautions in the wake of Wednesday鈥檚 mayhem.

Roughly 6,200 members of the National Guard from six states 鈥� Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland 鈥� will help support the聽Capitol Police and other law enforcement in Washington for the next 30 days. Inauguration Day road closures may be altered.

Crews also erected on the Capitol grounds tall, black metal fences designed to be impossible to climb. Similar structures have previously been used around聽the White House and in other cities that faced prolonged demonstrations.

Such barriers would have gone up in anyway in coming days, however, because the inauguration is a National Special Security Event overseen by the Secret聽Service and scores of other federal agencies, including the Defense Department, which helps lead counterterrorism efforts associated with the event. That鈥檚聽the same level of security provided during political party conventions or when a dignitary lies in state at the Capitol 鈥� but not during a normal congressional聽session like when rioters breached the building.

鈥淭he safety and security of all those participating in the 59th Presidential Inauguration is of the utmost importance,鈥� the Secret Service said in a statement聽Thursday. 鈥淔or well over a year, the U.S. Secret Service, along with our NSSE partners, has been working tirelessly to anticipate and prepare for all possible聽contingencies at every level to ensure a safe and secure Inauguration Day.鈥�

Authorities will have the same military and civilian footprint to handle a crowd of more than a million people for an event expected to draw a fraction聽of that because of restrictions to combat the coronavirus, according to a person familiar with the security planning.

Those who have worked on previous inaugurations said that while this year鈥檚 events will look different, the tradition of passing power from one administration聽to another will continue.

鈥淚s it as impactful? You don鈥檛 have a photo of a million people lined up, so you don鈥檛 have that sort of powerful image. But I think you will still have聽the feel there,鈥� said Bill Daley, a former commerce secretary and White House chief of staff who helped organize President Barack Obama鈥檚 first inauguration聽in 2009. 鈥淭he aura of change will be there.鈥�

Mr. Trump hasn鈥檛 made that easy. He has falsely argued that the election was stolen,聽a claim that has been rejected by fellow Republicans in critical swing states and his recently departed attorney general. His many legal challenges were聽roundly dismissed as meritless, including by conservative judges he appointed.

A Trump rally in front of the White House on Wednesday helped rile up the mob that later stormed the Capitol.

Former President Jimmy Carter has announced he wouldn鈥檛 be there, the first inauguration the 96-year-old will miss since he himself was sworn into office聽in 1977. He has mostly stayed home amid the pandemic. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will be on hand.

Inauguration organizers had already urged supporters not to come to Washington in person because of the pandemic. Viewing stands built to hold crowds of聽onlookers in front of the White House were recently dismantled.

There also won鈥檛 be the traditional inauguration luncheon and the parade聽will be virtual,聽similar to what the Democratic Party did during its all-online convention in August.

The inaugural committee has announced that Mr. Biden would receive an official escort, with representatives from every military branch, for a block before聽arriving to the White House from the Capitol.

The presidential motorcade usually rolls the mile-plus journey with the new president and first lady walking part of the way and thousands of cheering聽supporters lining the streets. While final details are still being worked out, it鈥檚 unclear any of that will occur this time.

Whatever happens, it鈥檒l be a far cry from Obama鈥檚 2009 inauguration, when organizers opened the full length of the National Mall 鈥� which extends all the聽way to the Lincoln Memorial 鈥� to accommodate massive crowds. Security was also a concern then.

The night before, Michael Chertoff, President George W. Bush鈥檚 secretary of homeland security, informed Mr. Obama鈥檚 team of credible intelligence indicating聽that four still-at-large Somali men who were thought to be coming over the U.S.-Canada border might be planning a terrorist attack on the inauguration聽ceremony.

In his book, 鈥淎 Promised Land,鈥� Mr. Obama writes that 鈥渢o be safe, we ran through various contingencies with Chertoff and his team.鈥� Mr. Obama had an adviser 鈥渄raft聽evacuation instructions that I鈥檇 give the crowd if an attack took place while I was onstage.鈥� He later noted that he kept those instructions in his breast聽pocket while giving his speech and that he was 鈥渞elieved鈥� that nothing happened and he didn鈥檛 have to use them.

Jim Bendat, an inaugural historian and author of the book, 鈥淒emocracy鈥檚 Big Day,鈥� noted that the outgoing and the incoming presidents usually meet at the聽White House and chat before joining a procession to the Capitol for the swearing-in ceremonies. Mr. Trump may not invite Mr. Biden to the White House and if he skips the inauguration as announced, Mr. Bendat said those actions would amount to 鈥渁n assault on our Democracy鈥� akin to Wednesday鈥檚 unrest.

鈥淭hose are very symbolic moments that really open our eyes,鈥� Mr. Bendat said of the two presidents meeting cordially. 鈥淭he world watches those moments because聽it鈥檚 something that doesn鈥檛 occur in most countries.鈥�

Still, Mr. Daley said Mr. Biden, who first ran for president in 1988, may be uniquely qualified for an inauguration that鈥檚 mostly void of traditional pomp and聽circumstance.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 less needed for someone who鈥檚 been around as long as he鈥檚 been. And his whole thrust has been, 鈥業 can hit the ground running because I鈥檝e聽been there, I know this stuff,鈥欌�� Mr. Daley said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think he needs to stand there on the podium celebrating himself very long.鈥�

This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP writer Zeke Miller in Washington contributed.