Source: washingtonpost.com

Officials have said that a principal concern was the possibility of hate crimes spurred by racial prejudice, leading them to focus investigative attention before the inauguration on any number of domestic groups with white supremacist views.

The Capitol Police suspended the two officers with pay on Jan. 19, the eve of the inauguration ceremony, pending an internal inquiry into an allegation that they associated with felons in violation of department policy, according to a senior law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the personnel matter. The official said the action was taken as soon as officials received the FBI’s file and was not precipitated by Chertoff.

“We were well aware of what some of the accusations were — some of which may have been repugnant, their associations with these guys — but none of it was criminal or actionable from an administrative” perspective, the official said.

The Washington Post is withholding the names of the officers because the allegations have not yet been substantiated and no one at the Capitol Police department would speak on the record about the case.

Chertoff, who stepped down on Jan. 21, declined to discuss the events leading up to the suspensions, referring questions to the Secret Service, which also declined to comment.

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