DC mayor: Security to be bolstered ahead of Trump impeachment trial

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) said in a press conference on Thursday that the capital will have extra security during former President Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate. 

“There’s still some very volatile events happening which require extra security, the impeachment process going up through the next national special security event that we all have to be mindful of, I would look at that as the time period where we are definitely going to have extra security,” Bowser said. 

There have been extra security precautions in D.C. following the Capitol riot on Jan. 6 to prepare for President Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration.

During that time, there was extra fencing around the Capitol and White House, National Guard members around the city, streets and bridges, and some Metro stops were also shut down. 

“We don’t want extra troops or fences to be a long-term fixture,” Bowser said. The street, bridge and Metro stop closures are over, and many guardsmen have left the city since the inauguration. 

It is not clear when the fences will be taken down. Bowser posted on Twitter on Wednesday urging local businesses to take down the boards they have over their windows that were put up over the protests over the summer and over election season. 

“DC, let go of your boards. If you know a business that still has boards up, please remind them to pull them down. #DCisOpen,” Bowser tweeted. 

DC, let go of your boards. If you know a business that still has boards up, please remind them to pull them down.#DCisOpen pic.twitter.com/qbTh522rvI

— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) January 27, 2021

The impeachment trial will begin on Feb. 9 and would require all Democrats and 17 Republicans to vote “yes” for Trump to be impeached by the Senate.