Minnesota lawmaker shootings prompt security debate in House and Senate
The weekend shootings of the Minnesota lawmakers profoundly rattled House and Senate members.
The reason? "Minnesota was jarring because (the suspect) went after family," said one House Member who has faced threats and asked for anonymity. "We're gone 50 percent of the time. There are no lines anymore."
There is a Senate-wide briefing on member security Monday. House Republicans received a virtual briefing late Saturday afternoon. House Democrats will receive a remote briefing Tuesday.
The question is, what can congressional security officials do to keep members safe?
One idea was to force House Speaker Mike Johnson , R-La., to let member offices have even more flexibility to use money – which Congress allocates for the operation of each office – toward additional security measures. Fox is told that it could enable individual offices to hire full-time protective details.
"Then they don't need to give us any more money," said one House member.
One Democrat applauded the U.S. Capitol Police but pointed out that it was physically impossible for the USCP to protect all members and their families 24/7, both in Washington and in their home states or districts.
It was also pointed out to Fox that there was zero information on the shooters who carried out two of the most violent episodes involving lawmakers in recent years. That includes the Congressional baseball practice shooting in 2017 and the shooting of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., in 2011.
"We need to be proactive on our own," said one lawmaker to Fox. "Not reactive."
Fox is told there has also been discussion about scrubbing the personal information of lawmakers from the web or approving anti-doxxing legislation.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., is tinkering with forcing the House into a "Secret Session" to debate the appropriate approach for congressional security. Such a resolution to move the House into a secret session needs a vote. It is also privileged, which means Moskowitz could force the issue. Or, the House could vote to table it. Staff inside the session must sign an oath of secrecy.
The House has not held a clandestine session since 2008 – and only six such conclaves in the history of the republic. Moskowitz would like to get members on the record of voting against a Secret Session for security. If they oppose it, then lawmakers don't have a right to complain. Otherwise, he believes they can actually figure out a way to keep fellow members safe and their families.
Several lawmakers with whom Fox spoke over the weekend said the problem is that there is no consensus on how or what members want, or if U.S. Capitol Police have the wherewithal – based on what Congress has appropriated for that department – to assure the safety of family members in 435 far-flung districts.
Moreover, security officials and those on the GOP telephone call Saturday told Fox there was a lot of criticism by members about the current security posture – from those who don't take advantage of current programs.
"They like to complain a lot," said one Republican source of those who haven't utilized the security options afforded them by USCP.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Another candidate is running against Finstad in the 1st Congressional District
Jun. 16—ROCHESTER — Oliver Morlan, a Zumbro Falls native and member of a family-owned business, announced that he is running for Congress in the First Congressional District as an independent candidate. The seat is currently held by Rep. Brad Finstad, a Republican. "I'm running to increase independent representation," Morlan said. "I'm trying to inspire that not just here in the district, but across Minnesota. I just feel that the country is in need of desperate change." A 2018 graduate of Century High School and self-described lifelong musician, Morlan, 25, said there is public impatience with how Congress is conducting its business and an appetite for holding the body "fiscally and ethically responsible." He said both parties are guilty of passing misleading spending and budget bills that "run up the deficit, cause massive inflation and are too big to fully scrutinize." Jake Johnson, a longtime teacher with Rochester Public Schools, is running for the DFL endorsement to challenge Finstad for his congressional seat. Finstad was elected to Congress in a 2022 special election and has since been re-elected to two two-year terms in the GOP-leaning district. Given the dominance of the two-party system, independent and minor-party candidates have a poor track record, historically speaking, of winning elections. Often lacking the fundraising prowess and infrastructure of the major parties, they struggle to get the name recognition necessary for victory. There are currently no independent members serving in the House of Representatives. With little political experience, Morlan acknowledged that he was "running against all odds" and that he would be relying on his "own resources" and a "lot of community support" to compete. Still, he argues that the environment was favorable to an outsider and pointed to the criticism directed at Finstad for failing to hold in-person town hall meetings. "I think that kind of non-representation might be the key factor here," Morlan said. Morlan said he plays a leading role as a trainer for D&M Industrial Cleaners, a commercial cleaning business that serves clients across southeastern Minnesota. As a musician, Morlan worked a short stint as a teacher at Pure Rock Studios in Rochester. Morlan said he supported term limits and was a tax-cut advocate, but would vote against President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful" bill that would extend the tax cuts passed in 2017 because "it is just too big." "The way this country was set up was so that regular people from any background could throw their hat in the race and see if they could make change in this country," Morlan said. "And I feel that we've kind of gotten away from that in more recent times."
New York Post
32 minutes ago
- New York Post
GOP rep calls for ‘around-the-clock' security for congressional lawmakers using public funds after Minnesota shootings
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) expressed deep concern Monday over 'growing threats' to congressional lawmakers in a letter asking for clarification over whether members can use their taxpayer-funded allowances to pay for personal security. Burchett's letter to the top Republican and Democrat on the House Committee on Administration – the panel which oversees the use of Members' Representational Allowances (MRAs) – comes days after a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband were gunned down by an assassin targeting politicians. 'We are deeply concerned about growing threats to the safety of elected officials and request the Committee on House Administration to clarify that Members' Representational Allowances (MRAs) may be used for around-the-clock security services,' Burchett wrote in his letter, obtained by The Post. 3 Burchett asked whether taxpayer-provided funds can be used to pay for 24/7 security for congressional reps. AP The average MRA provided to House lawmakers last year was about $1.9 million per representative – money provided to support 'official conduct and representational duties.' The Tennessee Republican notes that under congressional rules, it appears lawmakers are only allowed to use MRA money on security expenses 'when those services are provided at official, member-hosted district events, during the performance of official duties, or at district offices during business hours.' Burchett called the current interpretation of the rules for MRAs 'inadequate' in light of the Saturday shootings targeting former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and state Sen. John Hoffman, along with their spouses, and the 2017 assassination attempt against Senate Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) at a Congressional Baseball practice. 'Had these lawmakers served in Congress, they would not have been allowed to use MRA funds for personal protection, despite being targeted,' Burchett said of the shooting that killed Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the separate assassination attempt against Hoffman, which left him and his wife badly wounded. 3 Burchett noted that the slain Minnesota state lawmaker could not have used MRA money, had she been in Congress, to secure her home. Getty Images 'The reality is, Members of Congress are publicly identifiable at all times,' Burchett continued. 'Our addresses are posted online and the threats are constant.' 'While we are grateful for the efforts of local law enforcement, the unique risks associated with serving in Congress require security beyond what is currently available.' The congressman called on the House panel to take 'all necessary steps to expand the permissible use of Members' Representational Allowances to include personal security, excluding campaign-related activity.' 3 The killing of Melissa Hortman and the serious wounding of another Minnesota state lawmaker sent shockwaves through Congress. Steven Garcia 'Protecting elected officials from political violence is critical for effective representation and a functioning government,' Burchett argued. The 'manifesto' of suspected Minnesota political assassin Vance Boelter contained the names of as many as 70 people — largely lawmakers and abortion advocates — he may have sought to target, according to authorities. The chilling list reportedly included Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.). Boelter, 57, was captured in a rural area outside Minneapolis Sunday night.
The Hill
39 minutes ago
- The Hill
What we know in the aftermath of the Minnesota shootings
Tremors spread though the political world on Monday after the weekend's fatal shooting of a Democratic lawmaker and her spouse in Minnesota, and another shooting, allegedly by the same perpetrator, that injured a second lawmaker and his wife. The suspect, Vance Boelter, 57, was apprehended late Sunday. He faces murder charges in state courts. On Monday, federal prosecutors also charged him with murder. Boelter is accused of killing Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband, Mark, at their home in a Minneapolis suburb in the early hours of Saturday. Prosecutors allege that, shortly before, he had shot state Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his wife, Yvette, at their home. The Hoffmans have undergone surgery and are expected to survive. Here's what we know so far. A major development Monday came with the unveiling of the federal charges against Boelter — and the details from prosecutors that accompanied those charges. Boelter has been charged with murder and with stalking. Federal prosecutors allege that the suspect had visited a total of four lawmakers' homes. In addition to the two where shootings took place, he is said to have visited an address where his target was not home, and to have left another address without opening fire, perhaps because of a police presence there. Prosecutors did not identify the lawmaker, but state Sen. Ann Rest (D) identified herself, saying that she had been told that Boelter had been close to her home during the hours in question. She thanked local police officers for having 'saved my life.' Authorities said other documentation appeared to show that Boelter had been planning the attacks for months. Boelter apparently had a list of targets, as well as copious other plans. Both of Minnesota's senators, Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D) and Tina Smith (D), have confirmed that they were on the list. An unnamed law enforcement officer told the New York Times that Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.) and Angie Craig (D-Minn.) were also among the targets. Boelter's lists also extended beyond Minnesota. Abigail Leavins, a reporter for a website that covers politics in Wisconsin, said that Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) were also confirmed to be among the potential targets. Lawrence Andrea of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) was on the list, too. Multiple media outlets have reported that all the politicians allegedly targeted are Democrats. The list also appears to have included some addresses associated with reproductive rights, including abortion providers and Planned Parenthood clinics. Federal authorities have declined to identify a clear and specific political motive so far. But media interviews of Boelter's friends and acquaintances have formed a picture of a socially conservative, vigorously anti-abortion figure who, at least one friend said, supported President Trump in last year's election. In one clip available online, he delivers a sermon to an audience in Africa complaining that many American churches 'are so messed up they don't know abortion is wrong.' His roommate told reporters that Boelter was 'a Trump supporter' who 'would be offended if people called him a Democrat.' The tragedy of the killings was soon followed by a political firestorm. The instigator was Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who on Sunday tweeted a photo of the suspect with the caption, 'This is what happens when Marxists don't get their way.' A short time after, Lee sent another post with two photos of the suspect, including one in which he was wearing a mask, with the caption 'Nightmare on Waltz Street.' This was widely interpreted as a reference to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), Vice President Harris's running mate in the 2024 election. Influencers within the online right have been floating a conspiracy theory about Walz and the shooter, based on the fact that Walz had reappointed Boelter to a state economic panel in 2019. Democrats and liberals reacted furiously. Klobuchar told MSNBC on Monday that she 'condemned' what Lee had done, and said she would 'speak to him about this' when they next met. 'What I'm going to tell him is: This isn't funny,' Klobuchar added. Smith, at the Capitol, told reporters she was also seeking out Lee for a conversation. The Hill's Al Weaver posted a photo of the two in conversation soon afterward. Weaver also reported that Smith told reporters she wanted Lee to hear from her directly 'about how painful that was and how brutal that was to see that on what was just a horrible, brutal weekend.' Caroline Gleich, who was the Democratic nominee in last year's Senate race in Utah — ultimately losing to Lee's colleague Sen. John Curtis (R) — told The Hill in a video interview that Lee's tweets were 'absolutely despicable.' Lee has not deleted the tweets. His office did not respond to an invitation to comment. The hours since the shooting have seen significant misinformation. The Minnesota Star Tribune was among the news outlets trying to push the tide of confusion back. It noted that many members on the state board on which Boelter once served 'were not politically connected [nor] would have meaningful access to the governor.' Board members are purportedly appointed because of their insights into particular industries or areas of knowledge, not because they reflect a governor's ideology. A source in Walz's office also told the Star Tribune the governor did not know Boelter. The news organization also noted that, contrary to online speculation, Boelter's wife had never served as an intern for Walz. There appears to have been some confusion over another person with the same name, married to someone else. But at times, careful reporting seems little match for the tsunami of often-erroneous social media speculation. Reams have been written about the growing polarization of American politics over the past couple of decades. But there is a lot of evidence that the nation's political gulf just keeps getting wider and more bitter. The shootings in Minnesota are sure to produce more questions about where this will all lead. Trump himself was almost killed last July during a rally in Pennsylvania. A California man in April pleaded guilty to trying to kill conservative Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Several men were convicted in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) in 2020. With no end in sight to the enmity in the political system, attention is turning to increasing security for lawmakers and others in public life. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) — along with the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) — wrote to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday asking to increase the amount of money available to lawmakers to bolster security.
