Secret Service members were aware that a notable neo-Nazi group was planning to engage in violence on Jan. 6 but appear to have done little to act on it, according to new documents obtained by nonprofit organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). On Dec. 28, 2020, a member of the white nationalist group Vorherrschaft Division wrote in a Telegram channel that they needed “boots on the ground” on Jan. 6, and that Trump supporters should “march into the capital building and make them quake in their shoes by our mere presence.” The agency emailed the information to Capitol Police two days later. A “concerned citizen” also submitted several tips about a person who was driving to D.C. with “ballistic helmets, armored gloves and vests, rifles and suppressors,” according to CREW. The Secret Service spoke to the person when they flew into D.C. but it’s unclear if any further action was taken. The Secret Service has been accused of failing to adequately respond to other known threats before Jan. 6 from extremist groups like the Proud Boys.
