The Department of Homeland Security warned Thursday about the potential for violence from people involved in or opposed to the “Justice for J6” rally planned for Saturday, according to an unclassified intelligence briefing that was shared with state and local authorities and obtained by CNN.
The memo also warned of potential violence on the day before the rally.
“We are aware of a small number of recent online threats of violence referencing the planned rally, including online discussions encouraging violence the day before the rally,” the brief from the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis says.
Although the department believes some people may engage in violence, they don’t have indications of a specific or credible plot associated with the event.
(H/T: CNN)
The FBI is monitoring chatter picked up on social media sites and message boards, including Telegram, Parler and Gab.
Out of an abundance of caution, temporary fencing is being installed around the U.S. Capitol, the U.S. Capitol Police is requesting the National Guard Quick Reaction Force to be on standby near the Capitol, and Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police, as well as additional officers from surrounding cities and federal agencies who have Civil Disturbance Unit training, are being activated.
Earlier, officials said they expected about 700 people to attend Saturday’s rally. That estimate is “holding solid,” one official told CBS News.
(H/T: CBS News)
WHO’S ORGANIZING THE RALLY??
According to several reports, the rally organizer is Matt Braynard who’s nonprofit Look Ahead America is planning the DC event. Braynard is a former Trump campaign staffer, and former President Trump has no association with the scheduled rally. In a series of tweets, Braynard encouraged participants “not to wear clothes or carry signs mentioning former President Donald Trump or Biden.” If participants who supported the political figures “would be considered infiltrators.“
We request that anybody attending our events not wear any clothing or have signs supportive of either President Trump or Biden.
Anyone not honoring this request will be assumed to be an infiltrator and we will take your picture, find out who you are, and make you famous.
— Matt Braynard (@MattBraynard) September 14, 2021
“We request that anybody attending our events not wear any clothing or have signs supportive of either President Trump or Biden,” Braynard said in a tweet. “Anyone not honoring this request will be assumed to be an infiltrator, and we will take your picture, find out who you are, and make you famous.”
Read: Capitol Police To Re-install Fencing Ahead Of Upcoming ‘Justice’ For January 6 Rally
RIGHT-WING MOBILIZATION?
“People in DC are rightly worried about Sept. 18, but there is basically no evidence of right-wing mobilization,” Cassie Miller, a senior research analyst at the Southern Poverty Law Center, assessed in a Twitter thread on Wednesday. “Groups like the Proud Boys are actively discouraging people from attending and online chatter is almost exclusively about why no one should attend.”
People in DC are rightly worried about Sept. 18, but there is basically no evidence of widespread right-wing mobilization. Groups like the Proud Boys are actively discouraging people from attending and online chatter is almost exclusively about why no one should attend.
— Cassie Miller (@cassiepmiller) September 15, 2021
When asked about the “Justice for J6” rally, Roger Stone warned: “This is called agitprop. I don’t know a single person in the MAGA movement who is going. It’s a setup. Here’s my suggestion. The people who will be there, will all be working for the government. Nice try. I’m not going. The danger is obvious. There’s so many unanswered questions about January 6th. Now they’re trying to recreate it.”
Watch the Video:
TRUMP ON THE ‘JUSTICE FOR J6’ Rally (H/T POLITICO):
Former President Donald Trump on Thursday called Saturday’s ‘Justice for J6’ rally a setup for Republican voters — regardless of the outcome.
Trump Calls Planned ‘Justice for J6’ Rally at the Capitol ‘A Setup’ https://t.co/6opJkUhnPV
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) September 16, 2021
“On Saturday, that’s a setup,” Trump said in an interview with the Federalist. “If people don’t show up they’ll say, ‘Oh, it’s a lack of spirit.’ And if people do show up they’ll be harassed.”
The former president found multiple ways to weigh in on the upcoming rally on Thursday, sending out a statement echoing the messaging of the potential rally-goers. The narrative surrounding Jan. 6 has been warped by some members of the Republican Party, especially groups planning to rally on Sept. 18 in support of those currently detained for participating in the insurrection.
The shift in messaging has aimed to cast those on trial as “political prisoners.” There are more than 600 people charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.
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