SKIRTING SECURITY

House Republicans Flip Out Over Metal Detectors Installed at Capitol After Riot

Rep. Lauren Boebert said the security measures were “another political stunt by Speaker Pelosi.”

Multiple Republican members of Congress refused to walk through metal detectors installed Tuesday as a security measure after the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. HuffPost’s Matt Fuller reported that roughly 10 members of the House skirted the scanners Tuesday night, with Rep. Jim Duncan (R-SC), Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), and Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) reportedly refusing. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is said to have told Capitol Police she would not allow them to search her bag after it set off the scanners, and she later tweeted that the magnetometers were “another political stunt by Speaker Pelosi.” The Colorado Republican has spoken openly about bringing a gun, a glock specifically, to the floor of the House.

Other lawmakers reportedly lashed out at Capitol Police over the measure. “You are creating a problem you do not understand the ramifications of,” Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR) reportedly shouted at police, at one point telling them to “get back.” The metal detectors were not the only security measures put into place Tuesday; House members will now also be fined for not wearing masks. Multiple lawmakers tested positive for COVID-19 after being forced to shelter together during the insurrection.