Additional protective measures will be arranged for members of Congress travelling through US airports following several senators being intimidated in the wake of Wednesday's riots on Capitol Hill, CNN reported on Sunday, citing a notice sent to lawmakers the day before by the US Capitol Police and Sergeant-at-Arms.
To make sure the inauguration will be safe as well, the Capitol Police will be deployed at three major airports in the Washington DC area, including Reagan National Airport, the Baltimore-Washington International Airport, and Washington Dulles International Airport on 20 January.
The decision to take heightened security measures followed an incident at Reagan National Airport on Friday, where GOP Senator Lindsey Graham encountered some Trump supporters who heckled the politician and labelled him a "traitor to this country".
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) January 8, 2021
The reason behind the incident could be Graham's criticism of Trump over the Capitol riots. The South Carolina Republican, a staunch ally of the president's during his term in office, said on Thursday at a news conference in Washington that Wednesday's rally spiralled out of control and that neither POTUS nor Rudy Guiliani did anything to stop it.
On 6 January, Trump supporters stormed Capitol Hill as Congress was certifying President-elect Joe Biden's victory. The incident resulted in 5 deaths and a large number of injuries.
