A former aide to Vice President Pence who has since become a vocal critic of the Trump administration warned Monday that she feared violence could erupt in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, when Congress will formally certify President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.
“I’m actually very concerned that there will be violence on Jan. 6 because the president himself is encouraging it,” Olivia Troye said in an appearance on MSNBC’s “Deadline,” shared by Mediaite.
“This is what he does. He tweets, he incites it, and he gets followers and supporters to behave in this manner, and they believe they are being patriots because they’re supporting the president,” she added.
Trump tweeted Sunday “See you in Washington, DC, on January 6th. Don’t miss it. Information to follow!”
Troye, who served as a homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to Pence, left the administration in August and has since blasted its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Her comments come following a Washington Post report that the Hotel Harrington and Harry’s Bar, both frequent gathering spots for the far-right Proud Boys group, have announced they will be closed Jan. 4-6, ahead of the potential protests.
The group’s presence in the city has been accompanied by violent incidents and clashes, including a December stabbing outside Harry’s. The affiliation of the suspect is not known.
The group also tore down Black Lives Matter banners from two historic Black churches in the city the same weekend, setting one on fire. Police are reportedly investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.
During the presidential campaign, then-candidate Joe Biden sharply criticized Trump for instructing the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by” during the first presidential debate. The group has since adopted the phrase as a slogan on social media.
After a series of legal challenges and attempts to appoint pro-Trump electors have been pushed aside, supporters of the president’s attempts to overturn the results of the election have zeroed in on the Jan. 6 certification as their last chance to keep the president in office.
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) this week sued Pence, who will preside over the certification, in a long-shot bid to authorize the vice president to overturn the results.