How can BooBoo and Gaetz blow past security. This still pisses me off.

[Norbert]

If I, or any other local private citizen tries to do the same at our local county courthouse or Federal Building we would get a one way ticket to the Justice Center.

As long as these self-important people can breach security, among other laws, it diminishes the laws of the land.

[Marcuse]

1. The Capitol Police should have tased and detained Boebert and Gaetz as a threat to Zelenskyy.

They have been influenced and could have been coerced or replicated by a foreign power.

Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert were seen on the second floor of the Capitol building walking down a hallway outside of the House floor when they veered right towards the chamber. Before they were able to reach the door, two US Capitol Police officers in suits stopped the pair, addressing Mr Gaetz by name, and informed them that they needed to go through a security screening before entering, gesturing to a nearby metal detector.

The Florida congressman was heard briefly questioning the officer's direction, before turning away.

"Mr Gaetz? Mr Gaetz?!" the officer said as the pair breezed past them and entered the chamber without further incident.

The incident lasted only a few seconds. Neither Mr Gaetz nor Ms Boebert became verbally aggressive or insulting, but made clear that they were ignoring the two Capitol Police agents after getting an unsatisfactory reply.https://www.snopes.com/news/2022/12/22/gaetz-boebert-security-screenings/

[SheltieLover]

38. Absofuckingloutely!

[dchill]

2. Above the law is a real thing...

...no matter what anyone says. They all know it.

[Diamond_Dog]

3. It burns me up, too.

Why didn’t they get retained? Why weren’t they made to leave if they refused to cooperate?

[Zeitghost]

27. Because the law (Constitution)

Is on their side on this one.

[Mysterian]

42. Help me out...

which clause?

[Zeitghost]

45. Article I, Section 6, Clause 1

n/t

[Mysterian]

46. Just talks about not being arrested

Doesn't say anything about reasonable security measures.

[Zeitghost]

47. The parliamentarians have always seen differently

They are subject to fines for breeching protocol, but a sitting member of Congress can't be detained on the way to House.

[Mysterian]

48. Thanks. I wonder if there's any case law on this.

It seems unreasonable to let these assholes carry firearms into Congress.

[keithbvadu2]

4. Put their offices in a building that has no security. Open to the public.

Put their offices in a building that has no security.

Open to the public.

[onecaliberal]

8. 👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻

[bottomofthehill]

18. Most of their district offices are just that

Only in DC do most people go through a Mag to see their Member of Congress. District offices are usually in strip malls, office buildings, public libraries, there is not security for most members of congress in their district offices.

[riversedge]

5. I do not understand how they could do it with no consequences at all that I know of.

[bottomofthehill]

17. There are consequences, a fine

But per the constitution they can not be stopped

[thatdemguy]

6. Many years ago Congress critters where exempt from the screening

They made it look like they did it but just walked thru. I saw it when I took a friends out of state GF down there.

We where being escorted by her representatives staff and I watched 2 senators come in while we where waiting to be checked and they walked right thru the metal detectors, which beeped, and kept walking.

[bottomofthehill]

16. Less than two years ago

And Senators are still not screened, this is only a House Rule

[Fiendish Thingy]

7. Reminder: starting Jan. 3 members can carry guns in congress

Kevin will allow it.

[bottomofthehill]

15. Not really, they can't have them but no one will be screening for them

Ignorance is bliss

[Fiendish Thingy]

26. I fully expect that a member will be caught carrying on the floor by February 1. Nt

[no_hypocrisy]

9. March 29, 2006 - Rep. Cynthia McKinney was stopped by Capitol Police

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna12070031

And these two yo-yos blow past the CP like they own the joint.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

11. To be fair, McKinney was a bit of a yo-yo as well

She also assaulted the cops who detained her…

[SoCalDavidS]

35. She Is Black & A Democrat

Enough said.

[magicarpet]

10. Changing of the guard,..

Pelosi is soon out the door as leader.

So Gaetz and Bang-Bang Boebert figured a good time to flout any House rules,.. in a in your face sort of way.

"Own the Libs" - "Freedom" - + "Liberty",... don't ya know ?

[bottomofthehill]

14. By noon on 1/3 the rules change. The 117 Congress ends and the 118 Congress starts

With that a new rules package.

[bottomofthehill]

12. I know this is hard to believe but the Constitution protected their activity.

Security Screening of Members of Congress is a House Rule and not a law. Members can be fined for violation House Rules but they can not be stopped from attending a Joint Meeting of Congress, or any meeting of Congress. The rule has been in place for about 22 months and will revert back on 1/3/23 when the Rules for the 117 Congress expire. Even with the rule in place, it is a finance event not an arrest-able event and it would be a violation of the Constitution to stop them.

Article I, Section 6, Clause 1:

The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States. They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place

[Cyrano]

13. As of next month, Republicans will control the House

Imagine the antics we're in for. They will be a disgrace to the House and to the Country. An even bigger disgrace than they are currently.

[NJCher]

30. the world will be laughing at us

[SoCalDavidS]

36. What Makes You Think They're Not Already Laughing At Us?

Honestly, we live in a bubble. We truly believe the world looks upon us as this great example.

A lot of the world sees us for the pathetic country that we are. If anything, they pity us.

[NJCher]

40. because the facts are

as a college professor, I saw the thousands upon thousands of students who came to the U.S. for an education. They wouldn't pay the price for an education in the U.S. if they "pitied" us. Chinese, Japanese, students from everywhere. India.

Furthermore, Joe Biden turned around opinion on the U.S. quickly:

Pew: U.S. Image Rebounds Across the World Under Biden
The nonpartisan survey group found that the image of the United States since Biden's election has recovered dramatically from when Donald Trump was president.

https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2021-06-10/pew-us-image-rebounds-across-the-world-under-biden

However, this House will be so dysfunctional and crazy that it will create a bad image....but mostly for republicans. The midterms showed that America doesn't support these crackpots.

[SoCalDavidS]

41. Actually The Midterms Showed The Exact Opposite

repub candidates received more votes nationwide than Democrats did. That's a fact.

And despite all the happiness that we did not get crushed in the House, we still lost it. That's reality. The repubs hold roughly the same majority that Democrats had the last 2 years, and we were not looking at our holding the House in 2020 as something less significant, because we only held it by a few seats.

[NJCher]

43. oh, please (rolls eyes)

Hahahah, there's this thing called context. Ever hear of it?

If what you suggest has any implications, well, then, let's just go back in time and make Hillary Clinton the president because she won the popular vote.

What you're trying to peddle makes no sense in the context of a midterm going against the party holding the office of the presidency. In context, the Democrats did quite well and everyone, both here and worldwide, recognizes this.

In any event, your argument makes even less sense when one considers that perception creates public opinion (yes, even worldwide) and the perception is that the repubs are losers and that Biden and the Democrats are reasonable people with whom to deal.

Even in the House, republicans only skated in by around 6,000 votes. Now we have the Santos scandal, which creates even more of an image that this is the party of crooked nutcases. Michael Moore and many others think it entirely possible they will not even hold the House for the full two years.

Regardless, go take a walk and see if you can come up with another loser argument.



If there's a dark cloud, you will find it.

[treestar]

44. not necessarily

there can be years where they get fewer votes overall but still keep the House. Many state legislative elections can end up like that.

[IbogaProject]

22. One of those might cover

"Breach of the Peace", I don't know what that phrase's legal meaning is or was in the 1790's.

[bottomofthehill]

29. The Parliamentarian has not interpreted it as such and

This language is very clear

be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same

[stopdiggin]

23. thanks. instructive.

may not be the answer some would have liked - but that doesn't change the fact.

(also doesn't change the fact that this pair are monumental A-holes - but, be that as it may, the reason they were not 'prevented' is that there is no legal remedy here.)

[bottomofthehill]

24. Totally agree but, they are protected.

[ecstatic]

19. I was wondering how they would have handled herschel, had he been

selected. Someone with a gun, toy badge and 30 personalities (untreated, of course). I'm guessing they really didn't want to find out.

[bottomofthehill]

25. He was in the Senate, it would not have mattered

[magicarpet]

20. Once McCarthy takes over the House,...

... expect Gaetz + Bang Bang Boebert to open carry a high powered machine gun on to the floor of the US House.

Freedumb,.. patriotism,.. liberty and all that.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

21. That is their intention. Rules and Laws do NOT apply to them.

Which is why they need to be called pit nationally gor t he POS's that they are.

[stopdiggin]

28. and maybe we ought to stop with the, "If, I or any

private citizen .." analogies. Because ... They aren't. And the statement is therefore meaningless - and a waste of everybody's time.

(we've also heard this, rather endlessly, about TFG - same deal. it makes absolutely no difference at all what would have happened to Joe Blow contractor ..)

[bottomofthehill]

31. Correct, they are a Constitutionally Protected Class for this

Article I, Section 6, Clause 1:

The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States. They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place

[Silent3]

32. It depends if these people actually are, technically, legally exempt from the same rules...

...as other people, or if they get unjustified preferential treatment.

We know that often power, prestige, money, and political connections are reasons people get preferential treatment, so it's not unreasonable to suspect that's involved.

To be certain of that, however, we'd have to know the specifics of the laws involved. Are Congress members explicitly exempt from passing through security? Does some legal precedent or Constitutional principal exempt them?

[stopdiggin]

34. well said.

But also, in terms of pure practicality (and everyone's sanity) - it is a completely useless and meaningless exercise to continue to comparing a former POTUS - to Joe Blow contractor. It's just a waste of time!
------ --- --- ------

[stopdiggin]

37. answered specifically. see bottom posts #12, #31

[SoCalDavidS]

33. Some Are Simply Above Laws & Rules nt

[panader0]

39. Isn't Pelosi still fining these idiots for not going through the metal detectors?

I bekieve it was $5,000 per incident.
Bt the way, Russian TV media is praising BooBoo for dissing Zelenskyy.