NYT report: FBI and Capitol Police were aware of violent threats days before Capitol riots, were warned about 'looming war'



The impeachment trial against former President Donald Trump is slated to begin on Feb. 9. Trump is being charged for "willfully inciting violence against the Government of the United States." Many media pundits and Democrats have claimed that Trump's 70-minute speech at the Ellipse outside the White House on Jan. 6 "incited" the storming of the U.S. Capitol building and the subsequent riot. However, a new report from the New York Times finds that the FBI and the Capitol Police were aware of threats targeting the Capitol days before Trump's speech.

The New York Times report stated that there were "thousands of social media posts in the days before the assault, which documented how the rioters saw the Capitol — and the lawmakers certifying the election results — as a specific target."

A social media post on Jan. 5 by an unidentified person read, "Every corrupt member of Congress locked in one room and surrounded by real Americans is an opportunity that will never present itself again."

The New York Times article declared:

The FBI was aware of violent online posts before the rally, with the bureau's field office in Norfolk, Virginia, issuing a report that flagged one anonymous thread that warned of a looming war at the Capitol.

The Washington Post reported on another violent online threat that the FBI was aware of:

An online thread discussed specific calls for violence to include stating 'Be ready to fight. Congress needs to hear glass breaking, doors being kicked in, and blood from their BLM and Pantifa slave soldiers being spilled. Get violent. Stop calling this a march, or rally, or a protest. Go there ready for war. We get our President or we die. NOTHING else will achieve this goal.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation took the threats seriously enough to establish a "24-hour command posts at both the local Washington field office and its headquarters, not far from the Capitol." The FBI also "put tactical teams on standby, which it had not done for the previous two marches by Trump's supporters — on Nov. 14 and Dec. 12 — protesting the election results."

"Before Jan. 6, the FBI and our federal, state and local partners collected and shared available intelligence in preparation for the various planned events," the FBI said in a statement. "As indicated earlier, those leads deterred some from attending the Jan. 6 protest."

During testimony in January, acting Capitol Police chief Yogananda Pittman told Congress:

By January 4th, the Department knew that the January 6th event would likely not be like any of the protests held in 2020. We knew that militia groups and white supremacist organizations would be attending. We also knew that some of these participants were intending to bring firearms and other weapons to the event. We knew that there was a strong potential for violence and that Congress was the target.

The Capitol Police released a 12-page assessment regarding the "March to Save America" rally three days before the Capitol riots. According to the Washington Post, the Capitol Police report "warned of a violent scenario in which 'Congress itself' could be the target of angry supporters of President Trump on Jan. 6, laying out a stark alert that deepens questions about the security failures that day."

The Capitol Police, a federal law enforcement agency with the responsibility of protecting Congress, stated in the Jan. 3 memo:

Supporters of the current president see January 6, 2021, as the last opportunity to overturn the results of the presidential election. This sense of desperation and disappointment may lead to more of an incentive to become violent. Unlike previous post-election protests, the targets of the pro-Trump supporters are not necessarily the counter-protesters as they were previously, but rather Congress itself is the target on the 6th.

The report also cautioned, "This combined with Stop the Steal's propensity to attract white supremacists, militia members, and others who actively promote violence, may lead to significantly dangerous situations for law enforcement and the general public alike."

The Capitol Police communication also reportedly forewarned that "organizers were urging Trump supporters to come armed with guns and to bring specialized combat gear — including gas masks and military-style bulletproof vests called 'plate carriers' — to Washington on Jan. 6."

All of the Capitol Police command staff were informed of the intelligence report by Jack Donohue, intelligence director of the United States Capitol Police.

The Washington Post noted that the Capitol Police's internal report "does not appear to have been shared widely with other law enforcement agencies, including the FBI — was among a number of flags that security experts say should have alerted officials to the high security risks on Jan. 6."

Former Capitol Police chief Steven Sund, who resigned in wake of the violent riot, told the Washington Post on Jan. 15, "We looked at the intelligence. We knew we would have large crowds, the potential for some violent altercations. I had nothing indicating we would have a large mob seize the Capitol."

On Feb. 1, Sund sent an eight-page letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders. The letter gave his insights into what lead up to the Capitol riots.

Perfect hindsight does not change the fact that nothing in our collective experience or our intelligence — including intelligence provided by FBI, Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and D.C. Metropolitan Police (MPD) — indicated that a well-coordinated, armed assault on the Capitol might occur on Jan. 6.

The Capitol Police Labor Committee proclaimed that the department's leadership "failed to relay the known threat of violence adequately ahead of the Jan. 6 deadly riot, calling the acting chief's recent admission of prior knowledge of the threat to Congress a 'disclosure that has angered and shocked the rank-and-file officers.'"

CNN report finds deceased Capitol Police officer didn't suffer blunt force trauma, wasn't struck by fire extinguisher



There is an important detail regarding the Capitol riots that is buried in the eighth paragraph of a CNN article with the headline: "Investigators struggle to build murder case in death of US Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick."

The article states that U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died during the storming of the U.S. Capitol building, was not killed by blunt force trauma. This is a contradiction of previous reporting by various media outlets that said the Capitol Police officer was killed by being struck in the head with a fire extinguisher.

From the CNN article:

According to one law enforcement official, medical examiners did not find signs that the officer sustained any blunt force trauma, so investigators believe that early reports that he was fatally struck by a fire extinguisher are not true.

The report notes that Sicknick's cause of death is still not known, adding that the "findings from a medical examiner's review have not yet been released and authorities have not made any announcements about that ongoing process."

Investigators are reportedly looking into the possibility that Sicknick became violently ill after coming in contact with a chemical irritant such as pepper spray or bear spray. Medical examiners are also trying to determine if Sicknick possibly had a preexisting medical condition that negatively affected him during the Capitol riots on Jan. 6.

The report revealed that authorities are "struggling to build a federal murder case" in Sicknick's death because there is a "lack of evidence that could prove someone caused his death."

Law enforcement is said to have "reviewed video and photographs that show Sicknick engaging with rioters amid the siege but have yet to identify a moment in which he suffered his fatal injuries."

This new report is a contradiction from earlier reporting by news outlets that said Sicknick died because he was struck in the head with a fire extinguisher "during a struggle."

The New York Times reported on Jan. 8: "At some point in the chaos — with the mob rampaging through the halls of Congress while lawmakers were forced to hide under their desks — he was struck with a fire extinguisher, according to two law enforcement officials."

On the same day, the Associated Press reported: "Sicknick, 42, was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher during a struggle, two law enforcement officials said, although it was not clear if he was the officer shown in the video."

Slate featured an article with the headline: "Police Officer That Rioters Hit With Fire Extinguisher Dies, Making Capitol Siege a Murder Scene."

The New York Daily News ran a story with the headline: "Hero Capitol Police cop killed by blow to the head with a fire extinguisher during Trump-inspired riot."

There was footage from the Capitol riots showing a man toss a fire extinguisher at a group of Capitol Police officers. It is not known if Sicknick was in that group.

Robert Sanford, the man seen in the video attacking the police with the fire extinguisher, was arrested on Jan. 14 by federal authorities. He was charged with assaulting a police officer, Milton reports.

"Sanford is not suspected in the death of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick," CBS News reported last month.

Protesters Throw Fire Extinguisher as They Break Through Police Barrier on US Capitol Steps. via @Storyful https://t.co/fbMTFhCbpA
— David Clinch (@David Clinch)1610320682.0

On Feb 2, Officer Brian Sicknick was honored in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, only the fifth American to ever lie in honor in the Capitol. The cremated remains of the fallen 12-year Capitol Police veteran were later escorted to Arlington National Cemetery.

Sicknick, 42, was a New Jersey native and former member of the Air National Guard, who was deployed two times overseas.

Tonight, the remains of fallen U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick — a native of NJ & Air Force National Gua… https://t.co/dCs9bBIQcD
— Rep Josh Gottheimer (@Rep Josh Gottheimer)1612323463.0

Defense secretary orders 60-day militarywide stand-down to tackle 'extremism' within the ranks



Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a militarywide stand-down to address extremism within the ranks. The 60-day stand-down was prompted by reports of service members and military veterans who participated in the storming of the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6.

Austin conducted a Wednesday morning meeting with all the military service secretaries and service chiefs, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Hyten. Following the meeting, the defense secretary ordered a 60-day stand-down to confront extremism in the United States military.

"Within the next 60 days, each of the military services will take time out of daily duties to discuss the problem of extremism and extremist ideology in the ranks, as military leaders seek to get a better sense of how widespread these belief systems are," Military.com reported.

From Stars and Stripes:

"Austin wants all military units to take an operational pause to discuss extremism as he works to grasp the full scope of the issue and better address the longstanding problem, John Kirby, the Pentagon's chief spokesman, told reporters Wednesday. The pauses are expected to occur within the next 60 days, but Austin has yet to determine how the stand downs are to be completed, Kirby said."

"The intent is to reinforce the [Pentagon's] policies and values with respect to this sort of behavior and to have a dialogue with the men and women of the force and to get their views on what they are seeing at their level," Kirby explained. "He wants commands to take the necessary time to ... speak with troops about the scope of this problem. It's a two-way conversation."

"We owe the force, we owe these leaders some training materials and some deeper, more specific guidance about how to conduct [the stand-down], what the expectations are and thoughts about how feedback can be provided," Kirby stated.

The report of service members and military veterans being involved with the Capitol riots was reportedly a "wake-up call" for Austin and the Defense Department.

NPR reported in January that "nearly 1 in 5 people charged over their alleged involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol appear to have a military history." Of the 140 people charged in connection to the Capitol riots, 27 were current or former members of the U.S. military, which is almost 20%, yet only 7% of all American adults are military veterans.

"We woke up one day and discovered that we had extremist elements in our ranks, and they did bad things that we certainly held them accountable for," Austin said in January during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. "But we discovered that the signs for that activity were there all along. We just didn't know what to look for or what to pay attention to — but we learned from that."

"One of the reasons the secretary wants to do this stand-down is to see the scope of the problem. ... We don't want to overestimate or underestimate the number of people it might affect," Kirby said. "It may be more than we're comfortable hearing and admitting and probably a lot less than the media attention surrounding it seems to suggest it could be. But where is it? It's just not clear."

"[Austin] too is frustrated that this is an issue and that we don't have better visibility, better understanding of it," Kirby added.

"The vast majority of men and women who serve in uniform and the military are doing so with honor, integrity and character, and do not espouse the sorts of beliefs that lead to the kind of conduct that can be so detrimental to good order and discipline and in fact is criminal," Kirby said, according to a Department of Defense news release.

In 2020, the Department of Defense received 143 notifications of investigation from the FBI, 68 of them concerned with domestic extremism.

The Pentagon was reportedly already reviewing its policies on extremism before Austin was named the secretary of defense on Jan. 22.

Wednesday's meeting was "an initial discussion" on the topic of extremism in the U.S. military, and specific action was not named as of yet, but Kirby stressed that Austin was not "ruling anything out."

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) was not welcoming of the 60-day stand-down.

"Biden's Defense Secretary ordered a 60 day service-wide stand down to address 'extremism' within the US Military," the freshman Republican representative tweeted on Thursday. "This is nothing but a political litmus test of our brave men & women. It is obscene & dangerous to use soldiers who risk their lives for America as political pawns."

"We can hardly be surprised by these political litmus tests given Biden's political vetting of the 26,000 National Guard troops in DC for his inauguration," Boebert continued. "I spoke up, as did many others, warning that would open up a very dangerous precedent & less than a month later here it is."

We can hardly be surprised by these political litmus tests given Biden’s political vetting of the 26,000 National G… https://t.co/F1Ngl64lJR
— Lauren Boebert (@Lauren Boebert)1612458717.0


Tulsi Gabbard challenges Nancy Pelosi for 'enemy is within the House' rhetoric: 'Like throwing a match into a tinderbox'



Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii denounced House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for her "broad, inflammatory rhetoric" that is "incredibly dangerous."

Pelosi maligned Republicans this week by saying, "I do believe, and I have said this all along, that we will probably need a supplemental for more security for members when the enemy is within the House of Representatives, a threat that members are concerned about in addition to what is happening outside."

When asked by the press to clarify what she meant by "the enemy" within, Pelosi doubled-downed, "It means that we have members of Congress who want to bring guns on the floor and have threatened violence on other members of Congress."

On Friday night, Gabbard appeared on "The Ingraham Angle," where she reprimanded Pelosi for her remarks.

"This kind of broad, inflammatory rhetoric is like throwing a match into the tinderbox," Gabbard said of Pelosi's "enemy" within comments.

Regarding the claim of GOP lawmakers threatening "violence on other members of Congress," Gabbard clamored for Pelosi to get law enforcement involved if the threats are legitimate.

"What Speaker Pelosi is talking about is a very serious thing," the former Democratic representative told Fox News host Lauran Ingraham. "If there is evidence to back what she is saying ... is true, this is a legal issue for law enforcement. Because members of Congress are not above the law either."

Ingraham asked Gabbard if the claims made by Pelosi could incite more division and fuel more animosity.

"Isn't this also inciting? If you think there is someone among the Republican caucus who's actively plotting the murder of Nancy Pelosi or other members of Congress, that could then bring violence upon those individuals," Ingraham said.

"That's really the issue here. If this is a criminal threat, let law enforcement deal with it," Gabbard responded. "If there is no evidence of what she is talking about, and if it is not true, it is inciting further division and further harm potentially and further destroying the possibility of our country coming together."

Gabbard challenged the speaker of the House, "This is why it's so important for Nancy Pelosi – again if these accusations are baseless – she needs to apologize, not so much to her colleagues but really to the American people who right now, more than ever, need leadership coming from the speaker of the House, who represents all members of Congress and the American people to bring us together."

"For her and President Biden to deescalate these tensions, to turn down the temperature, to denounce those who are seeking to undermine our civil liberties and our constitutional rights, and who are inflaming these tensions," Gabbard advised her fellow Democratic leadership. "To say, 'Hey, we're all Americans, and we need to come together.'"

Ingraham questioned if the Democrats in power are weaponizing the Jan. 6 Capitol riots "to justify future encroachment on civil liberties." She hypothesized if Democrats might be "setting the stage" for "aggressive gun control," putting a "wall around the Capitol," or making Washington, D.C. a state.

Gabbard agreed, "I share your same concerns." She reasoned that if the "party in charge can extend this kind of government overreach and using the military and intelligence agencies against people who are of the opposing party or hold different views, then what's to say the next party who comes in and takes charge can't do the same? That really leaves us with a banana republic, not a democracy."

Tulsi Gabbard On Dangers Of Pelosi & Dems Painting Opponents As Terrorists & Taking Away Rights www.youtube.com

Capitol rioters were reportedly a minute away from reaching Mike Pence​



During the storming of the U.S. Capitol building, rioters were reportedly only a minute away from reaching Vice President Mike Pence, The Washington Post reported on Friday.

According to interviews with law enforcement officials and examining video footage from the chaos at the Capitol, rioters were less than 100 feet away from Pence and his family.

New details about the Capitol invasion on Jan. 6 claim that Pence was escorted out of the Senate chamber once the protesters breached the building. At the time, Pence was presiding over a joint congressional session to certify the Electoral College results of the 2020 election, which was delayed by the riot.

"About one minute after Pence was hustled out of the chamber, a group charged up the stairs to a second-floor landing in the Senate," the Post reported.

The Secret Service rushed Pence, second lady Karen Pence, and their daughter to an office that was "less than 100 feet" from a second-floor landing, where the mob had infiltrated.

The report alleges that if the rioters had arrived seconds earlier, "they would have been in eyesight of the vice president."

Pence was then reportedly marshaled to a secure location inside the Capitol complex.

Secret Service spokesperson Justine Whelan responded to the report, and noted that the vice president was not in danger.

"While the Secret Service does not speak specifically about the means and methods of our protective operations, Vice President Pence was secure at all times on Jan. 6," Whelan said in an email.

The Secret Service and other federal agencies are investigating a video from inside the Capitol of people chanting, "Hang Pence!"

Eugene Goodman was one of the Capitol Police officers who helped protect the members of Congress during the violent situation. Goodman is being heralded as a hero for confronting rioters and baiting them into following him to an area where there was more law enforcement to slow their progress through the Capitol building.

"Hundreds" of Capitol intruders will be charged for their role in the incident, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Investigations by the DOJ are even looking into serious felony charges of "sedition and conspiracy."

Capitol rioters intended to "capture and assassinate" elected officials during the raid, according to a Justice Department court filing.


Martin-Pool/Getty Images

Rep. Ayanna Pressley says Republicans engaged in 'chemical warfare' by not wearing masks



Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) attacked GOP members of Congress who did not wear face masks during the Capitol riots. Pressley went so far as to say Republicans committed "chemical warfare" by not wearing face masks.

"It's criminal behavior," Pressley told CNN's Don Lemon on Thursday. "I don't know what else to call it."

"They have been complicit from the very beginning in their willful criminality to carry the water for Donald Trump and these science denials which allowed this pandemic to rage out of control," she said of Republican lawmakers.

"And then by refusing to wear the masks, this is criminal behavior," the Democrat alleged. "That's chemical warfare so far as I'm concerned."

Purposely spreading the coronavirus would technically be considered "biological warfare" and not "chemical warfare."

"When they took us to the 'safe room,' and I walked in and saw that there was this contingent of anti-maskers in the room gathered, I immediately exited," Pressley claimed. "So imagine in that moment the choice that I was making. And we were told as we left that space, 'You'll be on your own in an evacuation.' And I said, 'I'll take my chances.'"

Pressley then denounced her Republican colleagues who were not wearing face masks during the Capitol riots.

"So in the midst of this terrorizing event, which inflicted great trauma, injury, and loss of life, where you would think even in that moment that they would attempt to extend some grace, some collegiality, or just to be decent human beings, they chose to recklessly endanger the members in that room, my spouse, my staff, and that of everyone else who was in proximity of them," she ranted.

Rep. @AyannaPressley on GOP Congressmembers who wouldn't wear masks: "This is criminal behavior -- that's chemical… https://t.co/9fU96uIWB2
— The Hill (@The Hill)1610677860.0

On Tuesday, Pressley took to Twitter to condemn Republican lawmakers.

"The second I realized our 'safe room' from the violent white supremacist mob included treasonous, white supremacist, anti masker Members of Congress who incited the mob in the first place, I exited," she tweeted. "Furious that more of my colleagues by the day are testing positive."

The second I realized our "safe room" from the violent white supremacist mob included treasonous, white supremacist… https://t.co/IDhxNRwwop
— Ayanna Pressley (@Ayanna Pressley)1610472860.0

According to Fox News, the maskless GOP politicians include Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Markwayne Mullin (Okla.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Scott Perry (Pa.), Michael Cloud (Texas), and Doug LaMalfa (Calif.).

Pressley announced Wednesday that her husband, Conan Harris, tested positive for COVID-19. Harris was with Pressley in the Capitol when the riot broke out Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C.

Harris, who is in isolation, has experienced mild symptoms, and it is was unclear how he contracted COVID-19, Boston.com reported. Pressley has tested negative for coronavirus, but is isolating along with her staff members.

Pressley also said she was proud to co-sponsor the resolution by Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) that calls for the expulsion of GOP House members who supported contesting the 2020 presidential election results in battleground states during the Electoral College certification, adding that these Republican lawmakers are "unfit to serve."

I just introduced H.Res. 25.It would, under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, investigate and expel the GOP member… https://t.co/biysYDmx7a
— Cori Bush (@Cori Bush)1610392954.0

Pressley has been in the news recently after her comments calling for "unrest in the streets" from the summer have resurfaced online.

"There needs to be unrest in the streets for as long as there's unrest in our lives and unfortunately there's plenty to go around." Pressley told "AM Joy" guest host Tiffany Cross in August.

Chris Christie said he'd vote to impeach President Trump for inciting an insurrection at the Capitol



Chris Christie believes that President Donald Trump deserves to be impeached and removed from office for his actions leading up to the riot at the U.S. Capitol building last Wednesday.

While appearing on ABC's "This Week," Christie said Trump's actions were an "impeachable offense," and urged Republicans to "vote their conscience."

When asked by host George Stephanopoulos if he had a vote in Congress if he'd impeach the president, Christie responded, "If I think it's an impeachable offense, that's exactly what I would do."

"But I'm not in there," Christie said. "If you want my opinion, that's my opinion."

"I think if inciting to insurrection isn't [an impeachable offense], I don't really know what it is," Christie told Stephanopoulos.

"We had an incitement to riot at the United States Capitol," Christie, a former U.S. attorney, said. "We had people killed, and to me there's not a whole lot of question here."

"Listen, I think they're going to have to vote their conscience and look at what happened," Christie said of Republicans in Congress.

"What I've heard from fellow Republicans is that they've had enough and that the president's conduct quite frankly since [the riot] has gotten them upset," Christie said.

Christie pointed out that the Democrats' impeachment over the president's phone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tarnished their credibility. "I will say to that the Democrats, by what they did earlier on Ukraine, have kind of cheapened this a little bit too," Christie said.

Here are some of my comments on the events of the week from this morning https://t.co/Pke7B11hlH
— Governor Christie (@Governor Christie)1610294380.0

Christie had been one of Trump's closest political allies dating back to the 2016 presidential campaign, and as recently as September when the former Republican governor of New Jersey helped Trump prepare for a presidential debate against Joe Biden.

Christie joins other Republicans who have considered Trump to be impeached over his actions leading to the storming of the Capitol building, including Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey and Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse.

Also on Sunday, former Republican California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger blamed Trump for the violence at the Capitol, and called said he "will go down in history as the worst president ever."

Arnold Schwarzenegger compares Capitol chaos to Nazis' Kristallnacht, calls Trump 'worst president ever'



Arnold Schwarzenegger gave his opinions about the storming of the U.S. Capitol, and called Republican politicians "spineless." The former Republican California governor compared last week's Capitol chaos to Kristallnacht, the two-day attack and campaign of terror against Jews in Germany that was initiated by Nazi storm troopers.

"I grew up in Austria. I'm very aware of Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass," Schwarzenegger said in the 7-minute video. "It was a night of rampage against the Jews carried out in 1938 by the Nazi equivalent of the Proud Boys. Wednesday was the Day of Broken Glass right here in the United States."

"The broken glass was in the windows of the United States Capitol," the action flick actor said on Sunday. "But the mob did not just shatter the windows of the Capitol. They shattered the ideas we took for granted."

"They did not just break down the doors of the building of American democracy," he claimed. "They trampled the very principles on which our country was founded."

The Kristallnacht began on the night of Nov. 9, 1938, and ended in the deaths of at least 91 Jews.

"Over 250 synagogues were burned, over 7,000 Jewish businesses were trashed and looted, dozens of Jewish people were killed, and Jewish cemeteries, hospitals, schools, and homes were looted while police and fire brigades stood by," according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

"The morning after the pogroms 30,000 German Jewish men were arrested for the 'crime' of being Jewish and sent to concentration camps, where hundreds of them perished. Some Jewish women were also arrested and sent to local jails. Businesses owned by Jews were not allowed to reopen unless they were managed by non-Jews. Curfews were placed on Jews, limiting the hours of the day they could leave their homes."

In the aftermath of the destruction, "The German government made an immediate pronouncement that 'the Jews' themselves were to blame for the pogrom and imposed a fine of one billion Reichsmark (some 400 million US dollars at 1938 rates) on the German Jewish community. The Reich government confiscated all insurance payouts to Jews whose businesses and homes were looted or destroyed, leaving the Jewish owners personally responsible for the cost of all repairs."

In November, CNN International anchor Christiane Amanpour compared President Donald Trump's four years in office to the Nazis' Kristallnacht. Commenters labeled the comparison as "despicable" and "disgusting."

Also in the video, Schwarzenegger attempted to lower the temperature on the nation's rising political tensions that seem to be at a near-boiling point. He brandished the 3-foot-long sword from the 1982 movie "Conan the Barbarian" to make an unusual analogy.

"This is Conan's sword. And here is the thing about swords – the more you temper it, the stronger it becomes," the actor said of the movie prop. "Our democracy is like the steel of a sword. It has been tempered by wars, injustices and insurrections. I believe as shaken as we are by events in recent days, we will come out stronger because we now understand what can be lost."

Schwarzenegger then called Republican politicians "spineless" and "complicit" to those who stormed the Capitol building.

"John F. Kennedy wrote a book called 'Profiles in Courage.' A number of members of my own party, because of their own spinelessness, would never see their names in such a book, I guarantee you," Schwarzenegger said. "They're complicit with those who carried a flag of self-righteous insurrection into the Capitol."

Schwarzenegger then took aim at Trump.

"President Trump is a failed leader. He will go down in history as the worst president ever," the actor said. "The good thing is he will soon be as irrelevant as an old tweet."

The bodybuilder concluded his video by sending a message to President-elect Joe Biden.

"We wish you great success as our president. If you succeed, our nation succeeds. We support you with all our hearts as you seek to bring us together," Schwarzenegger said.

My message to my fellow Americans and friends around the world following this week's attack on the Capitol. https://t.co/blOy35LWJ5
— Arnold (@Arnold)1610282700.0
Glenn: THIS IS WHY protesters stormed the Capitol

Glenn: THIS IS WHY protesters stormed the Capitol