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U.S. to wrap security blanket around D.C. courthouse for Trump trial
THE TRUMP CASES
U.S. to wrap security blanket around D.C. courthouse for Trump trial
Metal fencing could go up as soon as February for Trump’s potential March trial. It will be reminiscent of police barricades erected around the U.S. Capitol before and after the Jan. 6 riot.
By Spencer S. Hsu, Rachel Weiner and Peter Hermann
February 1, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EST
Members of the media wait outside the E. Barrett Prettyman federal courthouse in D.C. for an indictment of former president Donald Trump on Aug. 1. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)
U.S. officials are debating how thick of a security blanket they will wrap around the federal courthouse in downtown Washington for former president Donald Trump’s trial — a practical and symbolic measure of the case’s importance that must balance safety with the ongoing functions of a city and a public courthouse, according to people familiar with discussions.
Proposed changes for what could be the first criminal trial of a former American president include ringing all or part of the E. Barrett Prettyman federal courthouse as early as February with metal fencing, closing or controlling sidewalk access for several blocks, and temporarily closing neighboring streets in the heart of the city, two of the people said. The goal is to create an additional security buffer between the proceedings inside and the public outside, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss pending security plans.
The barriers will pose a visual reminder of the police barricades erected before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and its grounds, which sit 300 yards from the courthouse across an open expanse of the National Mall. The preparations come amid rising threats to public officials, including judges and prosecutors in Trump’s cases, and the prediction from the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination of “bedlam in the country” if his criminal cases damage his candidacy this year.
{snip}
By Spencer Hsu
Spencer S. Hsu is an investigative reporter, two-time Pulitzer finalist and national Emmy Award nominee. Hsu has covered homeland security, immigration, Virginia politics and Congress. Twitter https://twitter.com/hsu_spencer
By Rachel Weiner
Rachel Weiner covers federal courts in Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Va. Twitter https://twitter.com/rachelweinerwp
By Peter Hermann
Peter Hermann covers crime for The Washington Post. He previously worked for the Baltimore Sun for 22 years, covering a Baltimore suburb and then the Baltimore Police Department. Twitter https://twitter.com/phscoop
U.S. to wrap security blanket around D.C. courthouse for Trump trial
Metal fencing could go up as soon as February for Trump’s potential March trial. It will be reminiscent of police barricades erected around the U.S. Capitol before and after the Jan. 6 riot.
By Spencer S. Hsu, Rachel Weiner and Peter Hermann
February 1, 2024 at 6:00 a.m. EST
Members of the media wait outside the E. Barrett Prettyman federal courthouse in D.C. for an indictment of former president Donald Trump on Aug. 1. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)
U.S. officials are debating how thick of a security blanket they will wrap around the federal courthouse in downtown Washington for former president Donald Trump’s trial — a practical and symbolic measure of the case’s importance that must balance safety with the ongoing functions of a city and a public courthouse, according to people familiar with discussions.
Proposed changes for what could be the first criminal trial of a former American president include ringing all or part of the E. Barrett Prettyman federal courthouse as early as February with metal fencing, closing or controlling sidewalk access for several blocks, and temporarily closing neighboring streets in the heart of the city, two of the people said. The goal is to create an additional security buffer between the proceedings inside and the public outside, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss pending security plans.
The barriers will pose a visual reminder of the police barricades erected before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and its grounds, which sit 300 yards from the courthouse across an open expanse of the National Mall. The preparations come amid rising threats to public officials, including judges and prosecutors in Trump’s cases, and the prediction from the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination of “bedlam in the country” if his criminal cases damage his candidacy this year.
{snip}
By Spencer Hsu
Spencer S. Hsu is an investigative reporter, two-time Pulitzer finalist and national Emmy Award nominee. Hsu has covered homeland security, immigration, Virginia politics and Congress. Twitter https://twitter.com/hsu_spencer
By Rachel Weiner
Rachel Weiner covers federal courts in Washington, D.C. and Richmond, Va. Twitter https://twitter.com/rachelweinerwp
By Peter Hermann
Peter Hermann covers crime for The Washington Post. He previously worked for the Baltimore Sun for 22 years, covering a Baltimore suburb and then the Baltimore Police Department. Twitter https://twitter.com/phscoop
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