A Heritage Foundation staffer was stopped from entering a Senate office building after authorities say they found ammunition and suspected drugs in his briefcase.
Matthew Christopher Wingate was detained by Capitol Police on July 14 after allegedly attempting to pass through security at the Russell Senate Office Building.
According to court records obtained by NOTUS, an X-ray scan of his bag revealed what appeared to be a pistol magazine, prompting officers to carry out a further search.
Although Wingate initially told officers there “shouldn’t be” a magazine in his bag, investigators recovered a magazine loaded with 10 rounds of 9mm ammunition, according to an affidavit filed in Washington, D.C., Superior Court.
The Texas native held a valid license to carry a firearm in Washington, D.C., but firearms and related weapons are prohibited inside Senate office buildings, and he was subsequently arrested and taken into custody.
A further search of his brown briefcase uncovered more than ammunition.
Authorities allege that Wingate—the Heritage Foundation’s government relations director for defense and foreign policy, who previously worked for Republican Senators Joni Ernst and Ted Cruz—was also carrying a plastic sandwich bag containing four capsules and three blue pressed pills. The pills later tested positive for cocaine and fentanyl, according to court filings.
During questioning, Wingate reportedly said he had forgotten the magazine was in his briefcase and claimed the drugs belonged to him and were “prescribed by a medical professional.”
The Heritage Foundation, a powerful conservative think tank, has been one of the driving forces behind Project 2025—a controversial policy blueprint that seeks to expand executive power, overhaul the federal workforce with loyalist appointments, and advance a sweeping conservative agenda on social and economic issues.
Though President Donald Trump, 80, said during his 2024 election campaign that he knew “nothing” about the policy plan, many of its proposals have since been reflected in actions taken by his administration during his second term.
Wingate was released following his arrest on the misdemeanor charge and is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 27, according to court records.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the Heritage Foundation for comment.
