The latest on Biden's inauguration and security threats

Authorities are investigating a growing number of current law enforcement officers who allegedly participated in the Capitol Hill riot last week, Michael Sherwin, the acting US attorney in Washington, DC, said in a news conference Friday.

Two police officers from Rocky Mount, Virginia, were arrested Thursday on federal charges relating to the riot, Sherwin said. 

“We don’t care what your profession is, who you are, who you are affiliated with, if you are conducting or engaged in criminal activity, we will charge you and you will be arrested,” Sherwin said. 

Steven D'Antuono of the FBI's Washington Field Office called on people involved in the Capitol riot violence to turn themselves in, before the FBI comes knocking on their door.

Investigators are working "day and night," he said, and the FBI has arrested more than 40 people, with many others having self-surrendered to law enforcement.

"The American people have played a critical role" in assisting the FBI for tips, which now include 140,000 photos and videos.

D'Antuono said "enormous amount of work done in the past nine days ... this is a large puzzle we are diligently to put those pieces together."

Incoming White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain would not disclose details on Joe Biden’s inaugural address but did say the President-elect has worked on it virtually the entire transition.

"He takes time every few days to sit down and think about it and write some thoughts and rewrite some thoughts," Klain told Washington Post opinions columnist Karen Tumulty at a "Washington Post Live" discussion Friday.

He said he has confidence in the Secret Service and others to ensure the safety of the inauguration, but that this year was always going to be different than previous inauguration celebrations due to the pandemic. 

Klain reiterated Biden’s hope that Congress will be able to balance impeachment and a Covid-19 response, saying "Hopefully the trial will not be a lengthy trial." He added that Biden has had "frequent contact" with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell – "polite and straightforward" conversations.  

"I don’t want to suggest that Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell are going to see eye-to-eye on tax policy or health care reform or a lot of things, there are going to be disagreements. These are two men who have very different philosophies. But I do think that there are areas where they can work together," he said.

On the Covid-19 pandemic, Klain said the administration has spent the last year largely "under-doing' a response and predicts the country will see 500,000 deaths sometime next month.

GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said President Trump not attending President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration “maybe that’s best now given the situation we’re in.”

Graham, a staunch Trump ally, said he thinks the President will continue to be an “important voice in the Republican party for as long as he’s around” and said he told the President this morning to “use that power wisely,” during a live stream held by WSPA 7News with reporters on Friday.

Graham has shown tremendous support for the President in recent days, coming out strongly against his impeachment, but has also been critical of Trump for the “unacceptable” riot on Jan. 6.

The South Carolina Republican said he traveled to Texas with Trump earlier this week because he “wanted to spend time with the President. I wanted to be there when he told the story about how he secured the border.”

Graham added that “the President has become my friend. What he did on Jan. 6 was wrong on many levels. I don’t want to tar the movement with the actions of the rioters.”

The lawmaker also said “it seems to me the President is ready to move on.”

Investigators have so far opened up 275 cases where they are pursuing subjects including for violence outside or inside the Capitol building, DC US Attorney Michael Sherwin said.

He said that number will easily grow to more than 300 soon.

Also, 98 criminal cases have been opened with the majority of them being federal felony cases, Sherwin said.

Vice President Mike Pence spoke with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Thursday, according to a Harris aide. The aide declined to offer additional details of the call.

The New York Times was first to report about the Pence-Harris call.

Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser again urged Americans to enjoy the inauguration virtually from home and asked anyone who does not need to be out in the city to avoid restricted areas.

Agencies involved in inauguration security briefed the public on their specific missions at a news conference Friday.  

MaryAnn Tierney, regional administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said President Trump's authorization of an emergency declaration has allowed for additional resources, including the deployment of incident management teams to Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia. 

Following the Capitol siege, Bowser asked Trump for an emergency declaration in order to get additional funding for President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration as safety concerns mounted following the US Capitol breach.

On Monday, Trump declared that an emergency exists in the District of Columbia and ordered Federal assistance to supplement the District’s response efforts from Jan. 11 to Jan. 24, 2021

FEMA, which is responsible for incident response and recovery, is also working to pre-stage ambulance resources and move commodities closer in, if needed.

DC mayor: We want to ensure a peaceful transition of power

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to send the article of impeachment to the Senate next week, a source familiar with her thinking tells CNN.

It is unclear which day, according to this person, but the speaker is determined to do it.

At a Friday morning news conference, Pelosi would not commit to a firm timeline. 

"We're going to taking this to trial," she told reporters. "You'll be the first to know when we announce that we're going over there.” 

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said he's "activating over 75 members of the Oklahoma National Guard to assist local law enforcement should any protests at the State Capitol, or other locations, turn violent."

In a news release from the governor's office Friday, Stitt said he authorized the National Guard's support "at the request of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol."

No specific, credible threats have been identified in the state, "but increased safety measures are being taken in a proactive response to intelligence shared by federal law enforcement regarding state capitol buildings across the country," he continued. 

"Members of the guard will be activated from Saturday, Jan. 16 to Thursday, Jan. 21," the release explained. 

Four hundred members of the Oklahoma National Guard and airmen are also heading to Washington, DC, to assist local law enforcement there, Stitt said Thursday.