Intel report warned of riots in Washington

WASHINGTON, DC: An internal Capitol Police intelligence report produced three days before rioters breached the US Capitol cautioned that violent supporters of President Donald Trump could zero in on "Congress itself," the Washington Post reported, citing obtained portions of the 12-page memo.

"Supporters of the current president see January 6, 2021, as the last opportunity to overturn the results of the presidential election," the memo reads, according to the Post. "This sense of desperation and disappointment may lead to more of an incentive to become violent. Unlike previous post-election protests, the targets of the pro-Trump supporters are not necessarily the counter-protesters as they were previously, but rather Congress itself is the target on the 6th."

The January 3 report warns of thousands of belligerent rioters, incited by the president and joined by members of White supremacists and extremist groups, descending on the nation's capital with members of Congress the target of their anger, the paper reported.

It included striking characterisations of Trump supporters seeming to prepare for intense combat on platforms frequented by White supremacists and members of the alt-right, calling for participants to bring firearms, gas masks, bulletproofs vests and other specialised equipment, the paper reported.

The intelligence report determined that the anticipated crowds, the calls for armament, proximity to the Capitol and promotion "by President Trump himself" could make it a dangerous situation, per the Post.

AFP adds: However, by the time Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th US president Wednesday, his scandal-tainted predecessor Trump will already be far away, having helicoptered out of the White House a last time earlier that morning, an official said.

Trump will be the first president in a century and a half to snub the inauguration of his successor.

An official who asked not to be identified said Trump would go to his Mar-a-Lago golf club in Florida, which is his legal residence and will become home after the White House.

He is expected to be out of town well before Biden is sworn in on the steps of the Capitol building at exactly noon.

After spending more than two months trying to overturn the results of the November election, pushing false conspiracy theories about fraud, Trump´s presence had not been expected at the inauguration.

The final straw came on January 6 when Trump gathered a huge crowd of supporters on the National Mall and once more claimed that they had to fight to stop a fraudulent election. A mob then stormed Congress, halting proceedings underway to certify Biden´s win.

For longer than anyone can remember, outgoing presidents have stood by their replacement on the Capitol steps, watching them take the oath -- and in so doing showing visible support for the peaceful transfer of power.

Trump, who was impeached for a record second time in the wake of the Congress storming, has also broken with more discreet protocol by refusing to invite Biden and his wife Jill Biden to the White House for a traditional cup of tea in the Oval Office.

On Friday, Vice President Mike Pence did make the gesture of telephoning his incoming counterpart Kamala Harris, a source said.

Although this came only five days before inauguration day -- and more than two months after the election -- The New York Times said Pence offered his congratulations and belated assistance to Harris, describing the exchange as "gracious and pleasant."

Recriminations over the January 6 attack continued to reverberate on Friday, however, when Trump´s health secretary criticized "the actions and rhetoric following the election."

In a letter confirming he would step down when Biden takes office on January 20, Alex Azar called the violence "an assault on our democracy and on the tradition of peaceful transitions of power," urging Trump to condemn all violence and help ensure a smooth handover to Biden.

Trump´s extraordinary exit adds to the nervous atmosphere around an inauguration that was already set to be like no other.

In the wake of the Congress attack, thousands of National Guard troops have taken up position around central Washington. And even before the security nightmare, organizers had been forced by Covid-19 safety measures to nix the traditional big crowds and long guest lists.

For Biden, the subdued ceremonies will quickly be followed by a mammoth To Do list. His administration faces multiple crises on day one, including the stumbling national Covid vaccination project, a precarious economic recovery and Trump´s looming impeachment trial in the Senate.