The government is ramping up security measures for the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, 2025, in which lawmakers will certify the electoral votes of the presidential election in an effort to avoid a repeat of the 2021 attack on the Capitol. The Secret Serviceannounced Wednesday that the counting and certification of electoral votes has been designated a “National Special Security Event” for the first time, meaning the session will get the same kind of security given to major events like the Super Bowl and presidential inaugurations. “National Special Security Events are events of the highest national significance,” said Eric Ranaghan, the Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Dignitary Protective Division. The measure comes ahead of the fourth anniversary of the Capitol riot in which Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the building in a chaotic attack. Asked in this week’s presidential debate if he regretted anything about his actions that day, Trump answered: “I had nothing to do with that other than they asked me to make a speech.”
