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Topline
The House Ethics Committee on Friday announced a $5,000 fine against House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn after Capitol Police said he evaded a mandatory security screening on his way into the House chamber, making Clyburn the first Democrat and highest-ranking member penalized under the new rule.
UNITED STATES – APRIL 30: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Majority Whip James … [+]
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Key Facts
A memo from an unnamed Capitol Police sergeant, released by the Ethics Committee on Friday states that Clyburn “went to the restroom, came out and continued past the officers… and into the House Chamber,” on April 20.
A Clyburn aide told Forbes the South Carolina congressman returned to his Capitol Police detail, who were talking to the officer monitoring the metal detector, and went around it but did not refuse any orders, confirming an account in Politico.
Sergeant-at-Arms Timothy Blodgett sent Clyburn a letter the following day stating Capitol Police said he “failed to complete [a] security screening” and informing him of a $5,000 fine and his right to appeal it before the Ethics Committee.
Clyburn has said he plans to appeal the fine, making him the second lawmaker to do so this week, along with Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), who allegedly told officers “maybe later I have to vote” when they tried to screen him.
Clyburn is the fourth lawmaker punished under the rule but the first Democrat, undercutting a central argument in the failed appeals of Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) that the rule is enforced with partisan bias against Republicans.
Key Background
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in January proposed the fines, passed by the House the following month, as a way to crack down on lawmakers who weren’t complying with new security measures put in place after the Jan. 6 attack. Republicans have criticized the metal detectors as a needless and cumbersome burden.
Crucial Quote
“It is tragic that this step is necessary, but the Chamber of the People’s House must and will be safe,” Pelosi said in a statement in January when announcing the fines, taking aim at House Republicans who “have disrespected our heroes by verbally abusing them and refusing to adhere to basic precautions keeping members of our Congressional community, including the Capitol Police, safe.”
Big Number
$15,000. That’s how much Clyde was forced to pay after his appeal of two seperate fines was rejected by the Ethics Committee last month. The first offense incurs a fine of $5,000, but additional ones each carry a $10,000 penalty.
What To Watch For
A majority of the Ethics Committee is needed to agree to an appeal, but given that the committee is split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, it is unlikely that any appeals will be accepted.
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