WASHINGTON – Two days after supporters of President Donald Trump rushed the U.S. Capitol building in protest of President-Elect Joe Biden being certified as the winner of the presidential election, things are starting to look and feel different inside the nation’s capital.
There is lots of increased security and even more security on the way ahead of the presidential inauguration when Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States.
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News4Jax reporter Erik Avanier learned more about the changes in Washington D.C. after speaking to his old college roommate who is now part of the White House Press Pool.
His name is James Murphy and he’s an Emmy Award-winning photojournalist who says the events that played out inside the U.S. Capitol building have changed the way journalists will cover the upcoming presidential inauguration.
Days after an angry mob stormed the Capitol, resulting in the deaths of five people including a police officer, changes in security have become visibly noticeable, especially at night with all the flashing lights from law enforcement vehicles.
Murphy, a freelance journalist, snapped a photo of a giant fence that now surrounds the Capitol building, a building he normally shots live news reports from. He says this is the same fence that was temporarily erected around the White House during the Black Lives Matter protest.
“But to see them around the U.S. Capitol was something completely different. They have never in my time here. I‘ve never seen them put that fence around the U.S. Capitol,” Murphy said.
Murphy says as a result of the Wednesday attack, he and fellow journalist assigned to cover Congress now have to first enter another building then take an underground hallway that connects to the Capitol building rotunda. He says journalist assigned to cover the upcoming inauguration will now have to submit a head shot for a totally different press pass as part of the heightened security measures.
“They’re only allowing those people with those special passes to come into the Capitol grounds,” Murphy said.
On the day of the inauguration, Murphy will be assigned to news coverage inside the White House and he’s already anticipating protestor activity outside.
“I’m going to get there around midnight and I will be camped out there pretty much for 24 hours. Just get there before protestors even think about coming up there,” Murphy said.
Murphy says as a result of the attack on journalists, many of his colleagues who park several blocks away from the inauguration will likely have their own personal security detail escorting them to and from their vehicles.