OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A harrowing incident took place at the White House where a suspect driving a U-Haul truck smashed into the barricades and attempted to get to President Joe Biden and/or Vice President Kamala Harris.
Police arrested the suspect on Monday night and found paraphernalia in his vehicle that included a Nzi flag.
The suspect was charged with threatening to kill or harm a president, vice president or family member.
“The truck has been deemed safe by @DCPoliceDept & preliminary investigation reveals the driver may have intentionally struck the security barriers at Lafayette Square. Charges will be filed by the United States Park Police with investigative support from the #SecretService,” Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said on Twitter.
The truck has been deemed safe by @DCPoliceDept & preliminary investigation reveals the driver may have intentionally struck the security barriers at Lafayette Square. Charges will be filed by the United States Park Police with investigative support from the #SecretService.
— Anthony Guglielmi (@SecretSvcSpox) May 23, 2023
Vehicle collision at Lafayette Square: Roadways and pedestrian walkways are closed as teams investigate. pic.twitter.com/4QqNyRoa0T
— Anthony Guglielmi (@SecretSvcSpox) May 23, 2023
CBS News reported.
Law enforcement officials could be seen inspecting the truck. Shortly after 11 p.m., the back was opened and it appeared robots were being used to try to determine if anything dangerous was inside.
In a follow-up tweet, Guglielmi said, “The truck has been deemed safe by D.C. police and preliminary investigation reveals the driver may have intentionally struck” the barriers.
A law enforcement source told CBS News the man is a U.S. citizen. After driving onto Lafayette Square, he made threatening statements aimed at President Biden and Vice President Harris. There were no explosives in the vehicle and no weapons.
The source said the FBI was involved in the investigation, and the man didn’t show up on any watch lists — he didn’t appear to have any significant criminal record, according to checks done overnight.
U.S. Park Service police said the driver was arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon; reckless operation of a motor vehicle; a threaten to kill, kidnap or inflict harm on a president, vice president or family member; destruction of federal property and trespassing.
“What appears to be a Nazi flag was just pulled from the cab of a U Haul truck that rammed the fence at Lafayette Square in front of the White House,” Reuters reporter Nathan Howard said on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/SmileItsNathan/status/1660863633285423105
A Uhaul containing a Nazi flag tried to crash the barrier to the white house multiple times before being arrested pic.twitter.com/tFq4K4VJjU
— 🥀Imposter🥀 (@Imposter_Edits) May 23, 2023
It is not the only negative news that President Biden has had in recent days.
A growing number of Republicans have been pushing to impeach President Joe Biden and some members of his administration, an issue that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has addressed.
According to Punchbowl News earlier this month, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, was making efforts to obtain records from the FBI. Comer said he believes that the records could potentially shed light on allegations suggesting that Biden may have received bribes from a foreign national in exchange for exerting influence over policy decisions while he served as Vice President under the Obama administration.
Comer’s basis for this allegation stems from information provided by an anonymous whistleblower; three FBI whistleblowers testified before the Judiciary Committee on Thursday.
But despite increased calls to impeach, Jordan said the party’s move to impeach is currently working “to get the facts.”
“You think about [Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro] Mayorkas, he certainly warrants impeachment, but that’s a decision we have to make as a conference…And relative to the president, of course, that’s a decision that’s going to be made by the full Republican Conference and the speaker, and no one’s really focused on that now,” he told Punchbowl News in early May, according to Newsweek.
In April, Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett, a member of the House Oversight Committee, said that information brought by an IRS whistleblower who is seeking protection to testify could bring Biden to impeachment.
“This is just the very tip of the iceberg. This very brave IRS agent coming forward, I think, will just start it,” he said to Fox News host Maria Bartiromo. “They’re talking about impeaching Biden. How could we not impeach Biden if this does, in fact, reach him?”
The representative also spoke about the letter signed by 51 former intelligence chiefs who said that the Hunter Biden laptop had the earmarks of Russian disinformation.
