WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Louie Gohmert released the following statement on June 14th, 2021, on the filed lawsuit against the use of magnetometers on the House floor and fines for alleged violators:
“It is an honor to be joined by Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), and counsel, former DHS Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli, in bringing suit in the D.C. Circuit Court against the unprecedented power grab by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“With the Speaker’s full support, Democrats passed House Resolution 73 that would subject Members of Congress to illegal interference in the course of fulfilling their duties. Under Section 1(a), I received a notice from the Acting Sergeant at Arms alleging a violation for 'failure to complete security screening in the House Chamber,' when in fact I had completed the screening before entering the House Chamber. Article I, Section VI, of the U.S. Constitution mandates that a Member of Congress cannot be detained on the way to the House Chamber for a session and it is even more important that Members not be intentionally impeded from voting on behalf of the over 700,000 constituents we represent.
“In addition, the 27th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution forbids withholding or amending compensation for a Member in the same Congressional session. The Chief Administrative Officer of the House seeks to illegally withhold funds from my salary because of the Speaker’s desire to manipulate and hold Members of Congress hostage to her whims, especially Members of the opposing party.
“The installation of magnetometers at the House Chamber door and the charging of a fine is a blatant attempt to bully House Members and disrupt good order for the purpose of political “optics.” On February 24, 2021, the Acting Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, Yogananda Pittman, advised the Republican House Members’ conference meeting stating twice that there was no intelligence from any source that any Member of the House of Representatives was a threat to any other Member of the House.
“Further, the aggressive fines are not being enforced against Democrats. The fines are either dropped or never even assessed when the Speaker and other Democrats blow through the magnetometers. She has allowed no citations, no referrals to the House Ethics Committee, and no fines for her own non-compliance. There is only arbitrary and capricious enforcement against Republicans.
“In contrast, my targeted treatment in these matters is something I cannot let go without a fight against this totalitarian injustice. It is in the interest of upholding the Constitution and safeguarding fairness to the minority party which, for now, is the Republican Party. It is NOT that we are exempt from being screened through metal detectors. Every one of us goes through magnetometers multiple times most every week. There is no legitimate purpose for adding a new layer of magnetometers for entering the House Chamber since there is absolutely no evidence that any Member is a threat to any other Member of Congress.
“It was outrageous enough that the Speaker rammed through a House Rule prohibiting the mention of our mother, father, sister, brother, son or daughter. Rep. Andrew Clyde and I are taking a stand against the reign of terror under Speaker Pelosi that has cast a pall over the People’s House. We will continue the fight to uphold the Constitution and bring these injustices to light and, in this case, to court.”
Filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
