SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio terrorism expert Jeffrey Addicott saw a failure on two fronts Wednesday, January 6. Political activists let their convictions become a crime.
"What we saw last week was an absolute violation of the rule of law and a disgrace to all those that were involved," Addicott said.
Addicott is a retired United States Army Lt. Colonel who works as a full professor of law and director of Warrior Defense Project at St. Mary University's Law School.
He said the second failure on January 6 came from law enforcement. But Addicott does not see the same thing happening again as federal and local officials are in place for a possible round two going into President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.
"I predict we're not going to see anything near what we saw a week ago in terms of violence," he said.
Barriers, increased law enforcement, and the National Guard are in place in the nation's capital. Across the country, federal and local officials are on alert.
In San Antonio, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said the following:
"The FBI is supporting our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners with maintaining public safety in the communities we serve. Our efforts are focused on identifying, investigating, and disrupting individuals that are inciting violence and engaging in criminal activity. As we do in the normal course of business, we are gathering information to identify any potential threats and are sharing that information with our partners. The FBI respects the rights of individuals to peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights. Our focus is not on peaceful protesters, but on those threatening their safety and the safety of other citizens with violence and destruction of property."
Meantime, San Antonio Police are watching for threats to safety as well:
"At this time, there are no known public safety concerns here regarding the upcoming inauguration. We will increase visibility and continue to monitor our city alongside our Federal, State, and Local law enforcement partners to ensure our community is safe."
Addicott said what happened when Biden's electoral votes were to be certified should be shocking to every American, regardless of where they land politically.
He said he doesn't foresee any such swell happening in San Antonio. Addicott hopes Wednesday will let all the air out of the balloon for those puffed up over the election outcome.
"I hope that's what we're going to see is a calming of the rhetoric," he said. "And it will move forward, and people will accept the outcome of the elections as they should have."