Threats in Richmond: GOP to get secure briefing today

10 a.m. Friday, January 17 | The House Republicans in Richmond will get their secure briefing on the alleged threats facing the capitol plaza.

The briefing will take place in a secure location this afternoon, House J. Garren Shipley told Potomac Local this morning. Republicans pushed for more information following Gov. Ralph Northam’s gun ban ahead of Monday’s right-to-bear-arms rally planned for the capitol grounds on Monday.

After not receiving a response from the Governor late last night, as we reported below, we woke up this morning to news reports of three men — two U.S. residents and one Canadian — who is accused of making threats of violence to be carried out at the rally.

The governor’s office did not respond to an email request for comment late last night.

Also, Vice reports today that Monday’s rallies will have some strange bedfellows. Antifa Seven Hills, of Richmond, will join them as they, too, oppose the gun bills proposed by Democrats the General Assembly.

We’ll update this post with new information as it develops.

Original post, Thursday, January 16 | Republicans say they want more information on the threats cited by Governor Ralph Northam when he declared a pre-emptive state of emergency at the capitol grounds on Wednesday.

The declaration comes ahead of a planned Second Amendment rights rally planned at the state capitol on Monday in the wake of tighter gun restrictions under consideration in the General Assembly.

Press release | House and Senate Republican leaders wrote to Governor Northam requesting a secure briefing for General Assembly leaders on the threats the Governor cited Wednesday to justify his declaration of a state of emergency in regard to the January 20th Lobby Day event.

House Republican Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, Senate Republican Leader Thomas K. Norment, R-James City County, House Republican Caucus Chair Kathy Byron, R-Bedford, and Senate Republican Caucus Chair Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover asked Governor Northam today to brief the leadership of both parties in the General Assembly on the threats as quickly as possible.

“We, as members of the General Assembly, have received none of the information you have referenced to justify these restrictions. As such, we request that your office conduct a secure briefing on the threats identified by the Virginia Fusion Center and the Unified Command for the leadership of the General Assembly at the earliest possible time,” they wrote.

“We understand the need for operational security and to protect intelligence sources and methods. As such, we would suggest this briefing be conducted in a secure location of your choosing, with only the leadership of the respective majority and minority caucuses of the General Assembly — the Speaker of the House, Majority and Minority Leaders of the House and Senate, and the Chairs of the Democratic and Republican House and Senate Caucuses. No legislative staff would be included in this briefing…

“Considering the abridgment of the constitutional rights of Virginians your declaration has imposed, and because we have serious concerns about whether a governor has the authority to enact such restrictions, we believe it is imperative that leaders of the General Assembly – representing both majority and minority caucuses – are appropriately briefed as to the nature of these threats.”

The governor has not replied to this request, we’re told. More as we have it.