The counting and certification of electoral votes at the Capitol in January — the first since the Jan. 6 riot in 2021 — will come with significantly increased security, the Secret Service said Wednesday.
The Department of Homeland Security has designated the Jan. 6 count as a national special security event, affording it a level of security similar to events like the State of the Union address and the Super Bowl.
“National Special Security Events are events of the highest national significance,” Eric Ranaghan, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Dignitary Protective Division, said in a statement Wednesday.
The Secret Service, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, also cited reports from the former House Jan. 6 committee and the Government Accountability Office, which had asked Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to consider the enhanced security measures.
The designation will unlock federal, state and local resources to be used in its security plan, the Secret Service said.
Persons:
Donald Trump's, Joe Biden's, ” Eric Ranaghan, “, Muriel Bowser, Alejandro Mayorkas
Organizations:
Capitol, Service, Department of Homeland Security, Super, Secret, Republican, Democratic, United Nations General Assembly, Office, Homeland, Justice Department