A federal judge in Washington on Friday night halted a plan to release and put on house arrest the Arkansas man photographed sitting at a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during last week’s riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar last week.
The FBI has been investigating whether any of the rioters had plots to kidnap members of Congress and hold them hostage, focusing particularly on the men seen carrying plastic zip tie handcuffs and pepper spray.
On Friday evening and all throughout this weekend, police are preparing to be heavily present at the state capitol after reports of riots planned this Sunday.
The Biden plan comes as a divided nation remains caught in the grip of the pandemic’s most dangerous wave yet. So far, more than 380,000 Americans have died.
The developments threatened to escalate tensions between the Trump administration and some states over who is responsible for the relatively slow start to the vaccination campaign.