The Hitchhiker’s Guide to what snowball fights have to do with moving the inauguration inside

Fox News has learned that House and Senate offices are growing increasingly frustrated about who may be allowed to attend President-elect Trump’s inauguration inside the Capitol Rotunda Monday.

Fox is told that member offices were asked to “resubmit” paperwork about whether a lawmaker wants to attend and if the lawmaker’s spouse wants to attend. However, there are no “plus-ones.” And Fox was told the attendance of spouses could be “iffy.” 

One lawmaker said members were trying to get governors or other state officials into the Capitol Rotunda. But it was far from clear if officials could accommodate those requests.

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There is an effort to get a small group of people into the Capitol Rotunda who were slated to be seated down in front but were not House and Senate members. One official refused to identify to Fox who those with “special status” could be.

This likely means very few dignitaries or others are allowed inside for the inauguration. One Trump-supporting lawmaker was “happy” it was moving inside so the lawmaker didn’t have to sit outside in the cold “for an hour-and-a-half.” The lawmaker also noted that House members would likely have had the most uncomfortable experience had the inauguration been outside. That’s because of the way the wind blows across the platform and where House members were to be seated on the West Front.

One lawmaker told Fox about having 700 people traveling to Washington for the inauguration, and now none of them would be seated anywhere. But the lawmaker had “not heard one complaint” from people traveling to see the inauguration in person who now can’t.

President Reagan’s 1985 inauguration, moved inside because of extreme cold and a temperature of 7 degrees, accommodated a crowd of 1,000 in the Capitol Rotunda. Fox colleague Aishah Hasnie reports the grand total allowed inside the Capitol Rotunda for this inauguration will likely be 600. In addition, Fox is told that “600 is pushing it” due to fire concerns. One source says the figure may be closer to 500 before all is said and done.

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Fox is told that there were concrete plans for inaugurations in 2017 and 2021 to move ceremonies indoors. Officials even rehearsed those scenarios. In addition, Fox is told there was serious discussion about moving the 2017 inauguration inside because of rain and concern about umbrellas.

While the weather is the primary reason for moving the inauguration indoors, multiple sources close to the planning of the event have expressed concerns about security. 

“My Spidey senses are up,” said one lawmaker who asked not to be identified and is steeped in the planning of this event. But when Fox pressed various lawmakers and other sources, no one could identify a specific threat.

That said, more than one lawmaker contacted by Fox noted there were multiple outdoor events with the President-elect prior to the July assassination attempt, and every other event since has been indoors.

Fox is told that security officials will erect what was described as a “geo-fence” around the Capitol to interfere and jam nefarious communications and/or drones. At one point, there was talk of shutting off all cell communications during the time period when President-elect Trump was on the platform.

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That said, a forecast of about four inches of snow in Washington Sunday night began to change thinking around this year’s inauguration. There is genuine concern about thousands of people on the National Mall standing in cold, fresh snow for hours. There was worry about emergency personnel being able to reach those who may have medical emergencies while on the National Mall because of the inclement weather. Another issue is how snow that melted today could refreeze, creating significantly slick surfaces around the Capitol.

And then there is another factor: snowball fights.

One senior source tells Fox there was actual discussion about snowball fights interfering with the event if Washington got a fresh coating of snow. One source said planners worried it could “get out of hand” and could contribute to injuries.

Inside or out, this could be the snowiest inauguration since the swearing-in day was moved to Jan. 20 in 1937. The previous record for snow on inauguration day came in 1961, for the swearing-in of President John F. Kennedy. Washington received seven-tenths of an inch of snow that day.

And considering the weather, perhaps it was only appropriate that the poet Robert Frost spoke at JFK’s inauguration.