Washington monument closes through Biden's inauguration due to 'credible threats'
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser calls on National Park Service to revoke permits for gatherings around inauguration
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The National Park Service said Monday it is suspending tours of the Washington Monument until Jan. 24 or longer due to "credible threats" from groups involved in the violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
The temporary closures will include National Park Service public facilities, parking areas and roadways.
DC MAYOR 'EXTREMELY CONCERNED' ABOUT SECURING BIDEN INAUGURATION AMID 'CONTINUED THREAT'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Groups involved in the January 6, 2021 riots at the US Capitol continue to threaten to disrupt the 59th presidential inauguration on January 20, 2021. This includes the set up and execution of inaugural events, which occur in several park areas," National Mall and Memorial Parks Superintendent Jeffrey P. Reinbold said in a news release.
"These temporary closures may be extended if the conditions persist," Reinbold said. "The National Park Service will reopen areas as it determines that the conditions of concern are no longer present."
Reinbold said the closures will not result in a "significant" change in the public use pattern.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}With the Washington Monument in the background, people attend a rally in support of President Donald Trump on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Meanwhile, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said her team is "extremely concerned" about security ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20 in the wake of violence at the U.S. Capitol in a letter to Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf.
Bowser asked that the Department of Interior, which is over the National Park Service, "cancel any and all Public Gathering Permits in the District of Columbia and deny any applications for Public Gathering Permits uring the period of January 11 - 24, 2021."
"We have made this request repeatedly since June 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this week demonstrated the National Park Service's willingness to approve last minute permits and major adjustments," Bowser wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The National Park Service originally granted Women for America First a permit for a 5,000-person rally on Jan. 6, then agreed to allow up to 30,000.
"We are in regular communication with the City and Mayor’s Office, and the Secretary will be talking to the Mayor this afternoon," a spokesman for the Department of the Interior's Office of the Secretary told Fox News in a statement Monday.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The National Park Service has shared information regarding all permit requests with Bowser's office since last year.
The National Mall and Memorial Parks' most recent release did not address a ban on gatherings.