Biden, Trump teams working together on inauguration security after New Orleans attack
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US law enforcement and intelligence agencies raised concerns about copycat vehicle-ramming attacks after the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans.
PHOTO: EMILY KASK/NYTIMES
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WASHINGTON – The White House on Jan 3 said it was working closely with US President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team to guard against any possible attacks aimed at the Jan 20 inauguration.
President Joe Biden’s national security spokesman John Kirby said the White House was also keeping Trump’s incoming national security adviser, Mr Mike Waltz, apprised of investigations into the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans,
US law enforcement and intelligence agencies raised concerns about copycat vehicle-ramming attacks after the attack, in an intelligence bulletin published on Jan 3.
Mr Kirby said law enforcement and intelligence officials were watching the situation “very, very closely”, and security at the upcoming inauguration remained a priority for all.
The bulletin was issued a day after the Federal Bureau of Investigation said Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Texas native, was “100 per cent inspired” by the ISIS militant group to drive a truck into a crowd in New Orleans. Jabbar, who flew an ISIS flag from the rear of the truck he had rented, was killed in a shoot-out with police.
“The security of the inauguration and of people attending it remains a high priority for all of us in the executive branch,” Mr Kirby said. “We’re working assiduously every single day to ensure the safety and security of the inauguration from any kind of attack.”
The presidential inauguration is held outside the US Capitol, and followed by a parade to the White House by the new president and a series of inaugural balls around Washington. The district’s blend of city and federal land means that multiple law enforcement bodies, from the National Parks Service to the Capitol Police, are involved in security.
Trump’s team was slow to start the usual transition process between presidencies, but agreed in early December to begin the background checks needed for access to classified information.
Mr Marco Rubio, Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, and Mr Waltz, his designated national security adviser, already have security clearances as members of Congress who served on key intelligence committees, and can therefore be fully briefed by the current administration, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Trump’s incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles also has security clearance and can be briefed, the source said.
It was not immediately clear how many other Trump transition officials had received these clearances to be able to receive intelligence briefings and other sensitive data.
Mr Kirby declined to comment on the issue. REUTERS
