Capitol Police Boosting Security Around Lawmakers After The Capitol Insurrection

Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 08:58 pm

The Capitol Police is boosting security around lawmakers in the wake of the Capitol insurrection, according to an email obtained by The Associated Press.

Timothy P. Blodgett, the acting sergeant at arms, wrote that “Capitol Police will be stationed at area airports and Washington’s Union Station on busy travel days,” the outlet reported. Additionally, the agency is setting up an online portal so lawmakers can notify them of their travel plans.

“Members and staff should remain vigilant of their surroundings and immediately report anything unusual or suspicious,” the email reads.

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The news comes after Capitol Police arrested a man with a gun and 20 rounds of ammunition outside the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial. The man, identified as 71-year-old Dennis Westover, had “Stop the Steal paperwork” with him “that had a list of Senators and Representatives” in both the United States Congress and the West Virginia State House, according to court documents.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also told reporters that she thinks Congress needs to provide more money  “for more security for members, when the enemy is within the House of Representatives, a threat that members are concerned about.”

“It means that we have members of Congress who want to bring guns on the floor and have threatened violence on other members of Congress,” she said when asked to clarify her statement.

Debates over security have intensified since the January 6 insurrection, which was sparked after a mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol as part of an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 general election, which President Joe Biden won decisively. There is no evidence of widespread election fraud. Trump was impeached for inciting the insurrection. His Senate trial is set for next month.

Alan Herrera

Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.