House Republicans are demanding Nancy Pelosi be given a taste of her own medicine and be fined $5,000 after she was allegedly seen breaking her own security rules at the Capitol.
The House Speaker is accused of ignoring the metal detectors she had installed outside the House Chamber in the wake of the January 6 riots, days after she fined two lawmakers for committing the same offense.
In a letter written to acting Sergeant at Arms Timothy Blodgett Friday, GOP members of the Committee on House Administration claimed Pelosi was seen entering the House Chamber Thursday morning ‘without completing security screening.’
‘What was observed was a clear violation of House Resolution 73 and you are required by House Rules to impose this fine,’ they wrote, referring to the new House security rules.
‘We are demanding she face the same fines as every other member of Congress,’ they said in a tweet of the letter.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (pictured on Thursday) is accused of breaking her own security rules days after she threatened to fine lawmakers for the same offense
Republican members of the Committee on House Administration claimed Pelosi (pictured on January 12) on Thursday was seen ignoring metal detectors placed outside the House Chamber
A letter to acting Sergeant at Arms Timothy Blodgett was shared on Twitter by GOP members Friday. Republicans are calling for Pelosi be subjected to the same fines for the offense
The heightened security measures imposed at the Capitol building after the violent insurrection last month have become a point of contention between Democrats and Republicans after some members refused to comply with the rules.
On Tuesday the House voted to approve official regulations that would subject any lawmaker who refuses to go through the metal detectors placed outside the doorways of the chamber to hefty fines.
The resolution put into place fines of $5,000 for the first offense and $10,000 for the second. Every Republican lawmaker present voted against the measure.
Acting Sergeant At Arms Timothy Blodgett responded to the GOP’s request Saturday saying he could not fine Pelosi without a report of the offense from Capitol Police.
‘Only the USCP can determine whether an individual has failed to complete security screening,’ Blodgett wrote in a letter shared by the committee on Twitter Saturday.
The House Republicans slammed the response saying: ‘Just proves this new rule is being arbitrarily enforced & clearly does not apply to all members. It was put in place for political gain, not for safety.
‘The SAA is appointed by Speaker Pelosi & once again, she is showing the American people that the rules do not apply to her.’
It comes after Republican representatives Louie Gohmert of Texas and Andrew Clyde of Georgia were reported this week to be the first members of Congress to be penalized for violating the rules.
The four-figure sum was docked from each of their $174,000 salaries, The New York Post reported.
Gohmert released a statement saying he plans to appeal the fine.
‘Unlike in the movie, The Godfather, there are no toilets with tanks where one could hide a gun, so my reentry onto the House floor should have been a non-issue,’ the congressman said.
‘Since I had been complying with the metal detector requirement despite the Constitutional issue, I was surprised to receive a notice today stating that I had not complied with their policy and that I would be fined $5,000.
‘I will be appealing the fine and taking whatever action is necessary, especially considering this policy is unconstitutional.’
Acting Sergeant At Arms Timothy Blodgett responded to the GOP’s request on Saturday saying he cannot fine Pelosi unless he receives a report of the offense from Capitol Police
Reps Louie Gohmert (R-TX) (left) and Andrew Clyde (R-Ga) (right) became the first members of Congress to be penalized for breaking the rules
After the magnetometers were installed in building, several Republican lawmakers got into altercations with security officials as they pushed their way through the metal detectors, not stopping for an additional sweep after they set them off.
Lawmakers do not have to go through a security screening to enter the Capitol although staff and members of the public do so.
‘It is beyond comprehension why any member would refuse to adhere to these simple, commonsense steps to keep this body safe,’ Pelosi said in a statement Tuesday.
‘It is sad that we have been forced to move forward with a rule change imposing fines on those who refuse to abide by these protections, but the People’s House must and will be safe, so that we can honor our responsibility to do the People’s work.’
Any lawmaker who violates the screening rule will be reported to the House Ethics Committee and has 30 days to appeal. The fine will be deducted directly from the lawmaker’s paycheck.
Pelosi, in a letter to colleagues, called for greater security funding for lawmakers and said a 9/11 style commission would be needed to examine what happened the day of the riot.
Gohmert released a statement challenging the rules and said he plans to appeal the fine
Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene set off the detectors when she went through them and had to get wanded by U.S. Capitol Police on January 12
Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado has been adamant about wanting to carry her gun in the Capitol – above, left, Boebert goes through a metal detector outside the House chamber and, right, she speaks on the House floor
She also encouraged lawmakers, especially those in the House chamber on January 6, to record their experiences.
Pelosi wrote that she was ‘establishing an opportunity for Members to tape their recollections through a video, especially those who were in the Chamber.
‘It may be difficult for Members to share their stories, but it is important to facilitate an accurate personal record and for the healing process for our Congress and indeed, Country.’
The speaker berated armed Republican members of Congress last week as ‘the enemy within’ the House of Representatives.
Asked to specific who she meant by the enemy within, Pelosi forcefully responded: ‘It means that we have members of Congress who want to bring guns onto the floor and have threatened violence on other members of Congress.’
She was referencing GOP Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who, before she was a member of Congress, liked Facebook posts that expressed support for executing top Democrats, including Pelosi.
The speaker also was referring to several Republican lawmakers who want to carry guns in the Capitol.
Republican Congressman Andy Harris of Maryland is being investigated for trying to bring a gun onto the House floor last week. Lawmakers are allowed to carry guns in their offices and on the Capitol grounds but they are forbidden from bringing firearms into the House chamber.
Republicans have objected to the new security measures and have argued they have the right to bear arms.