Biden's Inauguration... D.C. Mayor Asks for Increased Security

Washington's mayor has asked for increased security around the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden as Washington remains on high alert ahead of the big day.

Mayor Muriel Bowser said that Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20 will require a "different approach" compared to past inaugurations, describing last week's assault as an "unprecedented terrorist attack".

"While I will be reaching out to a broad range of local, regional and federal partners to enhance cooperation among our bodies, I strongly urge the United States Department of Homeland Security to adjust its approach to the Inauguration in several specific ways", Bowser wrote in a letter to Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of the department.

Trump had called on his supporters to go out and rally in parallel with a congressional session last Wednesday to certify Biden's victory, but the crowds stormed the capitol and controlled it for a short period before they were expelled.

Five people died in the violence including one Capitol Police officer who was beaten as he tried to ward off the crowds.

In her letter, Bowser said the District of Columbia was submitting a request for a "pre-disaster declaration" to allow for federal assistance.

She also urged the Homeland Security Department to coordinate with the Justice Department, the Department of Defense, the Supreme Court and the Congress to establish a federal force deployment plan for all federal property.

Speaking at a news conference Monday, Bowser stressed that she was concerned about more violent actors potentially coming to the city in the run-up to the inauguration, saying, "if I'm scared of anything, it's for our democracy, because we have very extreme factions in our country that are armed and dangerous."

Meanwhile, the National Guard has plans to have up to 15,000 National Guard troops to meet current and future requests for the inauguration, Gen. Daniel Hokanson, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, said Monday. The dramatic increase in troops comes as law enforcement in the nation's capital and around the country brace for further extremist violence amid the transition of power.