House Speaker Nancy Pelosi withdrew $ 5,000 each from the wages of two Republican congressmen who challenged their new metal detectors, confirms a Democratic aide to The Post.
Representatives Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) Are the first to be hit with the dramatic fine, which is deducted directly from their $ 174,000 salary.
A second offense will cost $ 10,000 under a policy imposed last month by Pelosi (D-Calif.) And ratified by the House this week after Republicans bypassed metal detectors or marched through them non-stop.
Gohmert said he would appeal the fine. He said he generally complies with metal detectors, but he did not do so on a single occasion after going out to use the bathroom.
“Unlike the movie ‘The Godfather’, there are no bathrooms with tanks where someone can hide a gun, so my re-entry into the plenary should have been a problem,” said Gohmert in a statement.
The metal detectors were installed outside the Chamber chamber after Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Col.) Said she intended to bring a Glock to the Chamber floor.
This was shortly after the January 6 Capitol rebellion, during which supporters of then President Donald Trump stormed the building and interrupted President Biden’s victory certification, leaving five dead.
Democratic Rep. Of New York Grace Meng tweeted last month: “This is not very useful in terms of potential troublemakers in the future, but it is actually to help protect us from our own colleagues.”
Some Republicans, including Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Said they would challenge metal detectors on principle because they believe the Constitution says lawmakers cannot be stopped from entering or leaving the ground.
Roy and Massie, who used to pass detectors nonstop when they flashed red, were not the first to face fines.
Pelosi separately imposed a $ 500 fine last month for lawmakers who did not wear masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. A second offense costs $ 2,500. That rule quickly brought a group of conservative Republicans who refused to wear masks to the House floor.