Law enforcement agencies are stepping up security measures in the US capital ahead of a rally of Donald Trump supporters, which is scheduled for January 6 and will be timed to coincide with the process of approving the results of the presidential election in Congress.

The DC National Guard has been brought in to maintain order in Washington.

“In the period from 5 to 7 January, about 340 military personnel will provide support to the city authorities.

They will provide crowd control near several subway stations, as well as help police close off numerous intersections in order to ensure the safety of pedestrian areas and their surroundings, ”the DC National Guard said in a statement.

It is also reported that the specially trained "team of assistance to civilian authorities" will help the fire and rescue services of the capital district.

"If necessary, the National Guard is ready to allocate additional forces to perform basic tasks," the statement says.

In addition, the city authorities urged the participants in street actions not to bring weapons with them.

“We received information that some people intend to smuggle firearms into our city.

This is simply unacceptable, "- said the chief of police of Washington, Robert Conti during a press conference.

He added that anyone who tries to do this or provokes violence will be detained.

Against this background, the American media reported on the arrest of the leader of the far-right Proud Boys movement, Enrique Tarrio.

The head of one of the associations of Trump supporters intended to take part in rallies in support of the 45th US President, but was detained while entering the capital.

  • Proud Boys far-right leader Enrique Tarrio during a street action on December 11, 2020

  • Reuters

  • © Jim Urquhart

The formal reason for the arrest was the burning of a poster of the Black Lives Matter movement, which he and members of his movement committed at one of the rallies of Trump supporters in December 2020 and qualified as the destruction of someone else's property and a potential hate crime.

According to The Washington Post, the poster was stolen from the Asbury United Methodist Church.

Tarrio himself previously admitted that he was among those who burned the poster on December 12.

At the time of his arrest, magazines for extended-capacity cartridges were found with him, which is why the activist was charged with additional charges.

Last chance to thwart Biden

Recall that the rallies of Trump's supporters scheduled for January 6 are timed to coincide with a joint meeting of both houses of Congress, at which the results of the electoral vote are expected to be approved.

However, Trump still has not recognized the victory of Democrat Joe Biden, despite the fact that the courts dismissed most of the lawsuits of his headquarters for electoral irregularities, and the electoral college voted for Biden on December 14.

For the current head of state and part of the Republicans, the upcoming meeting will be the last opportunity to legally challenge the victory of the Democrats in this or that state.

According to existing rules, at least one member of the House of Representatives and one Senator must submit their objections to Congress in writing.

In the event of a protest, the meeting will be suspended so that both chambers separately consider and vote on this issue.

If at least one of the chambers does not support the protest, it will not be accepted.

Republican Senator Josh Hawley has already announced plans to object to the results of the electoral vote at an upcoming meeting.

According to him, "Congress should at least check on allegations of fraud and take steps to ensure the integrity" of the US presidential election.

A similar intention was announced in late December by a group of House Republicans.

Meanwhile, despite the political differences, at least in part of American society there is a request to overcome the period of uncertainty that came after the elections due to Trump's reluctance to recognize their results, experts say.

Thus, the public organization The Partnership for New York City, which brings together prominent representatives of the New York business community, called on Congress to approve the voting results.

“The presidential elections are over, it's time for the country to move on.

The Electoral College backed the candidatures of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris, and courts rejected claims related to the electoral process.

On Wednesday, January 6th, Congress is to approve the results of the electoral vote.

Attempts to interfere with this procedure or postpone it contradict the fundamental principles of our democracy, ”the appeal says.

Among the signatories to the demand for the congress are the leaders of such large companies as Microsoft, Pfizer, Goldman Sachs, Mastercard, Condé Nast, Deloitte, and dozens of others.

"The stakes in these elections are nowhere higher"

In parallel with the confrontation in Washington, an equally intense struggle between Republicans and Democrats unfolded in Georgia, analysts say.

In fact, this region must decide which party will control the US Senate.

At the moment, the Republican Party has a majority in the 100-seat Senate.

As a result of the past elections, they lost one seat, while the Democrats, on the contrary, gained one seat.

Thus, after the November vote, Republicans secured themselves 50 seats in the future composition of the upper house of Congress, and Democrats - 48.

If the Democrats John Ossoff and Rafael Warnock win the second round of elections in Georgia, then the representatives of both parties in the Senate will be equally divided - 50 people each.

However, in fact, the Democratic Party will receive a majority after the inauguration of Kamala Harris, since according to the law, the vice president has a decisive vote in the upper house, if the legislators are equally divided when considering a particular issue.

That is why Trump, at a January 4 rally in Dalton, urged his supporters to vote for re-election Republican Senators David Purdue and Kelly Loeffler.

“The stakes in this election are nowhere higher ... The results of your vote will determine which party will get control over the US Senate.

Radical Democrats are striving to secure seats in the Senate from Georgia so that they can exercise unrestrained, unlimited, absolute power over every aspect of your life, ”Trump said in a speech to his supporters.

  • Donald Trump at a rally in Dalton, Georgia on January 4

  • Reuters

  • © Brian Snyder

"Beyond the Legitimate Field"

According to analysts, now maintaining control over the Senate is a priority task for Republicans, since the majority of votes will allow them, if necessary, to block Joe Biden's initiatives.

“If the Democrats control not only the White House, the House of Representatives, but also the Senate, they will receive one-party rule.

And then they will undoubtedly try to make such decisions in order to prevent conservative candidates from winning the next presidential election, ”American political scientist Dmitry Drobnitsky suggested in an interview with RT.

Yuri Rogulev, director of the Franklin Roosevelt Foundation for the Study of the United States at Moscow State University, shares a similar point of view.

"If the Republicans lose the majority in the Senate, then it

will be easier for

Biden in the first two years (of reign. -

RT

) to make decisions, to implement his program," the expert said, explaining that next time it will be possible to change the balance of power in the Senate only during the interim congressional elections.

  • Joe Biden

  • Reuters

  • © Jonathan Ernst

Against this background, the political struggle over the approval of the presidential election results is not so important, analysts say, because the Republicans have little chance of changing them.

“It is more like a whim of the president, who cannot accept the loss calmly and seeks to prove something to someone.

In this case, Trump feels the dissatisfaction of a number of American citizens, voters who supported him, and speculates on this, heats up their moods, ”Yuri Rogulev believes.

Dmitry Drobnitsky has a slightly different opinion.

“There is a possibility that the Republicans will be able to file a protest, which will delay the voting approval procedure.

However, this is unlikely to have a definitive impact on the election results.

The chances of Republicans that such a protest will be adopted are negligible, since Democrats have a majority in the House of Representatives, ”Drobnitsky said, adding that the Republicans' actions are not devoid of sense.

Thanks to them, the political scientist believes, Biden will have to begin his reign in extremely difficult conditions, when millions of Americans doubt his legitimacy.

“He takes office with a big cloud over his head, because half of the US population considers him an illegitimate president who seized power as a result of collusion.

This situation will seriously interfere with the work of his administration.

This situation is rather shaky and unstable, ”the analyst said.

Drobnitsky said a large-scale rally of Trump supporters, scheduled for January 6, pursues similar goals.

“Street actions are needed to demonstrate to the Americans, who are in a post-election depression after the election results, that all is not lost, the struggle will continue.

In addition, this will prevent the Biden administration from canceling much of what Trump managed to do, ”the expert explained.

The interlocutor of RT also suggested that the political polarization of American society, which was characteristic of the Trump presidency, is unlikely to disappear.

“America is entering a period when the struggle between liberal globalists and nationally oriented conservatives is shifting far beyond the legitimate and democratic field.

This situation will continue until they figure out which path America will take, ”the analyst concluded.