Top House Dem pressures hotel, travel companies to deny service to 'extremists' ahead of inauguration
Airbnb already canceled all D.C. reservations for inauguration week
House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney on Thursday sent letters to numerous travel and lodging companies asking that they take steps to prevent President Trump's supporters from being easily able to travel to Washington, D.C., for President-elect Biden's inauguration next week.
The letters sent by Maloney, D-N.Y., cite action already taken by Airbnb canceling all reservations in D.C. for inauguration week. They also note steps by some companies after the Oklahoma City bombing to "deny extremists access to their services."
AIRBNB WILL BLOCK, CANCEL ALL DC RESERVATIONS DURING INAUGURATION
Maloney laments that before the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, which drove Vice President Mike Pence and hundreds of lawmakers into hiding, "thousands of President Trump’s supporters descended on Washington, D.C., to attend a rally, answering the President’s call to 'Be there. Will be Wild!'"
BIDEN INAUGURAL REHEARSAL RESCHEDULED, AMTRAK TRIP CANCELED OVER SECURITY CONCERNS: REPORT
“While the inciters and attackers bear direct responsibility for the siege on the Capitol and will be held fully accountable, they relied on a range of companies and services to get them there and house them once they arrived—companies that law-abiding Americans use every day, but whose services were hijacked to further the January 6 attacks," Maloney said in the letter.
She added: "Trump supporters chartered scores of buses and vans and drove in caravans to the nation's capital. They stayed in D.C. hotels, with videos showing attackers relaxing in the lobby of one hotel after the insurrection."
Maloney specifically asks companies to "put in place additional screening measures to ensure that your services are not being used to facilitate violence or domestic terrorism... Retain all records regarding service requests and reservations from January 1 to January 31, 2021" and produce "all company policies and procedures currently in place or being developed to ensure that your services are not used to facilitate violence or domestic terrorism."
The letters were sent to Greyhound, Megabus, BoltBus, Lux Bus America, Vamoose, Jefferson Lines, Peter Pan, Flizbus, RedCoach, Enterprise, Hertz, Avis, National, Alamo, Budget, Dollar, Thrifty, VRBO owner Expedia, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Accor Group, Hyatt, Hilton, Choice Hotels, Marriott, Best Western International, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, and Extended Stay America.
Washington, D.C. -- and Capitol Hill specifically -- has essentially become a military staging ground in recent days. The U.S. military presence there now dwarfs that in Iraq and Afghanistan combined.
The threats have forced changes to the Biden inauguration's preparation ahead of his swearing-in Wednesday, including the rescheduling of a Sunday rehearsal, Politico reported. Biden was also supposed to ride into Washington, D.C., via Amtrak -- on the route he often took as a senator from Delaware -- but that was canceled too, the outlet said.
Massive swaths of the city are subject to roadblocks or road closures, and people are being forced to show ID to police to get into many parts of Washington, D.C.
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There also planned armed protests at all 50 state capitals in the coming days, according to an internal FBI memo.
Fox News' Jennifer Griffin, Brooke Singman and David Spunt contributed to this report.