L-R: Minnesota lawmaker assassin suspect Vance Boelter arrested; Mugshot of Vance Boelter. (Ramsey County Sheriff's Office; Hennepin County Jail)
The question is, what can congressional security officials do to keep members safe?
One idea was to force House Speaker Mike Johnson , R-La., to let member offices have even more flexibility to use money – which Congress allocates for the operation of each office – toward additional security measures. Fox is told that it could enable individual offices to hire full-time protective details.
"Then they don’t need to give us any more money," said one House member.
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Representative Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat from Florida, during a hearing with the full task force on the assassination attempt of former President Donald J. Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The House has not held a clandestine session since 2008 – and only six such conclaves in the history of the republic. Moskowitz would like to get members on the record of voting against a Secret Session for security. If they oppose it, then lawmakers don’t have a right to complain. Otherwise, he believes they can actually figure out a way to keep fellow members safe and their families.
Several lawmakers with whom Fox spoke over the weekend said the problem is that there is no consensus on how or what members want, or if U.S. Capitol Police have the wherewithal – based on what Congress has appropriated for that department – to assure the safety of family members in 435 far-flung districts.
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From armed robberies to carjackings, a variety of lawmakers and Capitol Hill staff members have found themselves at the center of violent attacks on the streets of D.C. in recent history. (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)
Moreover, security officials and those on the GOP telephone call Saturday told Fox there was a lot of criticism by members about the current security posture – from those who don’t take advantage of current programs.
"They like to complain a lot," said one Republican source of those who haven’t utilized the security options afforded them by USCP.
Chad Pergram currently serves as a senior congressional correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/minnesota-lawmaker-shootings-prompt-security-debate-house-senate