U.S. national security officials said Thursday they’re concerned about the potential for violence at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland as tensions run high around the country after the recent police shootings of unarmed black men and the deadly ambush of police officers in Dallas.
During congressional testimony, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said he’s worried demonstrations outside the convention hall next week may get out of hand. He told lawmakers that roughly 4,000 U.S. government personnel will be based in Cleveland to ensure the safety of people there.
“I am concerned about the possibility of violence,” Johnson told the House Homeland Security Committee.
He added that in Ohio it is legal to openly carry firearms. “So that obviously is something that someone under state law, and I suspect the Second Amendment, has a right to do, but it does present a challenging situation very plainly,” Johnson said.
Johnson said he will be inspecting security in Cleveland during a visit Friday. He also said he has similar concerns about the possibility for violence at the upcoming Democratic convention in Philadelphia. He said he plans to visit that site next week for review security preparations.
FBI Director James Comey said there will be “hundreds of people” from the bureau focused on assessing intelligence related to groups that aspire to commit acts of domestic terrorism.
“Anytime there’s a national spotlight on a political event in the United States there’s a risk that groups that aspire to do just that, to engage in acts of domestic terrorism, will be attracted,” Comey said. “It’s a threat we’re watching very, very carefully.”
Among the government personnel in Cleveland will be Secret Service agents, Homeland Security investigators, Customs and Border Protection personnel, and Coast Guard members, according to Johnson. They will be augmented by the Ohio National Guard and state and local law enforcement.
“We have been planning and preparing for both conventions for over than a year,” he said.
During a wide-ranging hearing, Republican members of the committee pressed Comey on the Justice Department’s decision last week not to criminally charge Hillary Clinton over her emails and use of a private server during her tenure as secretary of state.
Comey largely stuck to answers he gave during testimony on Capitol Hill last week and avoided being drawn into debates over what he described as hypotheticals.
Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas, asked Comey to describe a meeting he, other FBI officials and federal prosecutors had with Attorney General Loretta Lynch on July 6, one day after Comey recommended against prosecution for Clinton and her aides.
Ratcliffe asked whether Lynch, during the meeting, read the 110 emails the FBI found that were sent or received on Clinton’s server and contained classified information.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to talk about the specifics of that meeting,” Comey said.
Rep. William Keating, D-Mass., used his time for questions to ask “how important is it that we come together as a country” when divisions run so deep in the wake of the police shootings and the ambush in Dallas.
Johnson said there are “some awful loud voices on both ends of this debate” but he believes the great majority of Americans respect the role of law enforcement. “I also believe that most people recognize that the shooter in Dallas is not representative of the broader movement to see change in certain law enforcement practices,” he said.
Comey said people need to become more connected.
“I’ve long believed it’s hard to hate up close,” Comey said. “We’ve got to let people see the true heart of law enforcement, what we’re really like.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
OK where in the world is the governor or Ohio in all of this. Even though he got beat in the primary he still has a state to run and protection of all people in his state untimatly falls on his shoulders. As a Godly man, which he stated he was, (maybe excluding DONALD TRUMP) he still has an obligation to protect all who are in his state. What about state police, local police and the sheriffs departments? HELLO Mr. governor if you are the GODLY man you profess to be step up to the plate and act like it………………………..
This is not a new event in our history. My worst military assignment in 20 years occurred, not on one of my Viet Nam tours, but the Chicago Democratic Convention in 1968. We had airplane loads of troops from Ft. Hood, Texas deploying from Austin, to Chicago O’Hare. As they deplaned at the Nat’l Guard Ramp, I tried to find some semblance to reality after my upbringing and education in our Constitution. Through the tears, I realized that this is what happens when the public does not believe that the rule of law is paramount to civil governance. The French had a “dust up” that they called a “Revolution”. America, it was nothing like the American Revolution. When the Government places itself above the citizenry, there are few alternatives left for the citizen.
I gave 20 plus years of my life to the United States Navy and im very proud to have done so! I am so sad and angry to see our great country in such turmoil and our government trying to take away our god given liberties! We the people are the last line of protection and must work toward setting our nation back on the right track again! The most important task is to not let anyone steal the nomination of Trump as our republican nominee for the presidency!
A large number of Republican convention delegates will likely be armed. If someone causes trouble it may be handled before law enforcement can get involved.
When the Democrats meet the place may be gun free. That will be the convention that will likely see serious crimes committed.
Time to get out the water cannons and rubber bullets….Let it be known definitely that criminality will not be tolerated at all….
Get ready for George Soras and his rabble rousers.
Interesting, you say in this article “Unarmed black men”. I’m pretty sure the incident in LA, wasn’t he a convicted felon with a hand gun on him, which is against the law. And the incident in MN, he had a permit to carry and was carrying. So that would mean they were both armed…?