House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that members of the House can pay for additional security measures with their subsidies to Congress and said the House is likely to need to spend additional funds on members’ security because “the enemy is inside the House of Representatives.”
“It should not be that the president of the United States not only incites the insurrection, but maintains the advantage of the flame by endangering the security of members of Congress, to the point that they are even concerned about members of the House of Representatives a danger to them, “he said.
The California Democrat asked him what he meant by “the enemy is inside,” “it means we have members of Congress who want to carry guns on the ground and who have threatened violence against other members of Congress.”
Some Republican representatives, including Andy Harris of Maryland and Lauren Boebert of Colorado, have reportedly expressed their desire or attempted to bring weapons to the floor of the House of Representatives, where they are banned. Pelosi ordered the installation of magnetometers outside the House of Commons after the Jan. 6 assault and pledged to impose thousands of dollars in fines for members who refused to abide by the projection.
Another Republican member, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, posted a speech on Facebook in February 2019 in which she said Pelosi “is guilty of treason … a crime punishable by death.”
Earlier, in her press conference, she questioned the decision of the Republican leadership to give Greene a seat on the House Education and Labor Committee in light of Greene’s previous statement that the shootings in schools were “false flag” operations.
“What could they be thinking, or thinking too generous a word about what they could do? It’s absolutely scary,” Pelosi said.
The speaker’s comments responded to a question about a request by more than 30 members of the House of Representatives to use their subsidies in Congress to increase their personal safety in home districts by hiring security personnel local or other security personnel, among other things. CBS News got the letter for the first time.
Members called for more latitude in how they spend the member representation allowance, an annual allocation set by the House Administration Committee that provides members with the operating budget for staff, mail and other expenses. of office to carry out its official functions.
“However, I believe that while it is appropriate for you to use your ARM for your safety, you should not do so because there is money to meet the needs of the components,” Pelosi said.
The January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol raised the concern of many lawmakers about their personal safety in Washington, but even more so at home, where they do not have the protection offered by Capitol police and where most pass. most of the time.
Pelosi said he will meet later Thursday with retired Lieutenant General Russel Honoré, who is conducting a security review of the Capitol and studying the safety of members in Washington, DC and its districts, as well as intermediate transportation.
Zak Hudak contributed to this story.