Republicans are engaging in a huge push to pressure House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to pay the fine she herself imposed for bypassing magnetometers installed in the U.S. Capitol after it was breached by rioters last January 6.
In an interview with Fox News, Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) gave a detailed firsthand account of watching the House Speaker enter the House floor from a forbidden entryway last Thursday.
Davis said, “She opened the session on the floor, she came through what is known as the Speaker’s lobby.” He continued and added, “We are all told, one Republican was fined for doing this just yesterday, that you cannot walk through those entrances unless you are disabled.”
Despite requests for comment to Pelosi’s office, they have yet to deny their account.
Previously, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) was made to pay a hefty fine of $5,000 last Friday for bypassing metal detectors when the Representative stated that he only left the House floor to use the bathroom.
Why isn't the Speaker of the House being fined for skirting the metal detector? https://t.co/4z9l0udGLl
— Louie Gohmert (@replouiegohmert) February 6, 2021
The lawmaker from Texas described the incident, stating that he had already passed through the metal detectors earlier in the day.
The fines were the first issued since the House passed a rule to fine lawmakers who refused to pass through the building’s magnetometers as a precautionary action after the Capitol riot.
Davis called the measures passed by Pelosi as part of the “typical good for thee, not for me type of attitude that comes out of San Francisco.”
Meanwhile, on Twitter, Rep. Dan Crenshaw called out Pelosi and wrote, “Pay the fine Speaker Pelosi.”
Pay the fine Speaker Pelosi. https://t.co/xT7ps5JaQv
— Rep. Dan Crenshaw (@RepDanCrenshaw) February 6, 2021
Crenshaw told Fox News that Pelosi should pay the fine because her action was “against her own rules.”
“Now, is this a smart rule? No. Is this a rule that makes sense? No, of course not. But that’s not the point, the point is they’re her rules. She’s literally confiscated property in the form of money, which we think is unconstitutional, but in any case, they’re doing it,” Crenshaw continued.
The Texas Republican also added that Pelosi “won’t abide by the rules herself so we’re going to make a huge push for her to actually have to pay that fine.”
Thereafter, Davis called on the Capitol Police to report the violation to Timothy Blodgett, the acting Sergeant-at-Arms so that he could issue the fine. However, Blodgett stated on Friday that Capitol Police had not reported the incident to him.
To back up his claim, Davis said that the Capitol Police could not only file reports of violations on Republicans and then look the other way when the most powerful person in the House, such as the House Speaker, flouts her own rules.
Last Tuesday, the House passed a measure requiring all members of the House to pass through magnetometers that Capitol Hill police installed outside the House chamber. This step was made following the riot that ensued in the Capitol last month.
Democrats called for the measure after several Republicans reportedly claimed to be armed in the chamber when the riot happened. However, members of Congress are indeed allowed to carry firearms in the Capitol, although not on the floor.
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. pic.twitter.com/YYRcx1vJGR
— House Admin. Committee GOP (@HouseAdmnGOP) February 6, 2021
A letter was sent to acting Sergeant-at-Arms Timothy Blodgett by Republican lawmakers on the House Administration Committee, requesting she be issued the newly implemented $5,000 fine for Pelosi’s failure to pass through the security screening before she entered the House floor.
The Republicans wrote on Friday in a letter, “Yesterday, at approximately 9:59 am, multiple members observed the Speaker of the House entering the House Chamber 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. Please inform us once the fine has been assessed,” they continued. “We look forward to a prompt response to this inquiry.”
GOP lawmakers largely viewed the magnetometers as ineffective and inconvenient measures, arguing that threats like the one seen last January 6 do not come from fellow lawmakers.
