The U.S. Secret Service (USSS) will increase security on Jan. 6, 2025, to ensure safety and security during the Electoral College vote count at the Capitol.
The USSS confirmed these security measures in an email to Fox News Digital, stating that Jan. 6, 2025, has been designated a National Special Security Event by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
“This designation allows for significant resources from the federal government, as well as from state and local partners, to be utilized in a comprehensive security plan,” officials stated. “When an event is designated a National Special Security Event, the U.S. Secret Service takes on the lead role in designing and implementing the security plan.”
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser requested the heightened security, with the 2025 presidential inauguration already designated as a National Special Security Event on Jan. 20.
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Trump supporters gather outside the Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. As Congress prepares to affirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, thousands of people have gathered to show their support for President Donald Trump and his claims of election fraud. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
“This marks the first time a National Special Security Event designation has been granted for a Certification of Electoral Votes and follows a request made by the DC Mayor to designate this event a National Special Security Event,” read the USSS’s statement. “Various reports including from the House Select January 6 Committee and the Government Accountability Office also called for the DHS Secretary to consider a National Special Security Event designation for future Certification of Electoral Votes.”
In a statement, Special Agent Eric Ranaghan, in charge of USSS’s Dignitary Protective Division, emphasized that the electoral voting session is an event “of the highest national significance.” He stated, “The U.S. Secret Service, in collaboration with our federal, state, and local partners are committed to developing and implementing a comprehensive and integrated security plan to ensure the safety and security of this event and its participants.”
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Capitol police officers stand outside of fencing that was installed around the exterior of the Capitol grounds, Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021 in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
An Executive Steering Committee, comprising senior representatives from federal, state, and local law enforcement and public safety partners, will meet to initiate the formal planning process.
The request for heightened security was a response to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot where thousands of former President Trump supporters stormed the Capitol to protest the Electoral College vote count.
During a presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump was asked by ABC host David Muir if he had any regrets about Jan. 6.
In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, violent protesters, loyal to President Donald Trump, storm the Capitol, in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
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“I had nothing to do with that, other than they asked me to make a speech,” replied the Republican nominee.
The Department of Homeland Security’s designation places the Secret Service in charge of security rather than the U.S. Capitol Police, as reported by the Washington Post.
