Days after a Capitol insurrection that left 5 people dead, and as we learn of domestic terrorism threats ahead of inauguration, I still can't wrap my head around House Republicans having a full-blown tantrum about having to walk through a metal detector. huffpost.com/entry/house-re…
What is going on here?
At best, these GOP lawmakers are embarrassingly entitled.
At worst, they’re sneaking guns onto the House floor and don't want to get caught -- and terrifying their colleagues in the meantime.
These are actual quotes from House Republicans reacting to have to walk through a metal detector to get onto the House floor.
“Horse shit!”
“You are creating a problem you do not understand the ramifications of!”
“You can’t stop me, I’m on my way to a vote!"
The Capitol Police officers by the metal detector -- some of whom just saved these lawmakers' lives last week -- had to stand there and get yelled at, and be told the situation is "unconstitutional."
There is nothing in the Constitution about walking through a metal detector.
Never mind that you're not allowed to bring a gun onto the House floor, which it sure sounds like Rep. Madison Cawthorn did.
Some lawmakers are afraid of EACH OTHER. Some are raising concerns about Trump allied-lawmakers being conspirators with the violent insurrectionists.
.@AOC, for one, has said she was scared for her life during the lockdown, in part b/c of white supremacist lawmakers potentially revealing her location to the insurrectionists.
Rep. Cedric Richmond said as much yesterday, noting there “may be co-conspirators” in the House.
Of course, some of these GOP lawmakers are big ol' metal detector hypocrites.
Here's Rep. Steve Stivers in 2018, saying how great it is that Congress is giving schools more money to put in metal detectors. Because safety first!
Stivers in 2018, backing more metal detectors in schools: "As a father, I want to ensure the safety of all of our kids as we send them off to school."
Stivers this week, having to walk through one to get onto the House floor: Unconstitutional!
And just to bring this full circle, the reason GOP lawmakers like Stivers support putting metal detectors in schools is because they don't want to deal with gun control but they want to look like they're doing something on school shootings, so... here, have a metal detector.
Cap Police can't really *force* a member of Congress to walk through a metal detector. I wasn't sure how Pelosi was gonna enforce this change.
The 147 Republicans who still voted to overturn the election results after the Capitol insurrection. huffpost.com/entry/republic…
I still can't wrap my head around this.
Hours after Trump incited his supporters to violently storm the Capitol, with plans to kill Nancy Pelosi and others, 147 GOP lawmakers still voted to overturn the election -- citing the same lies about fraud fueling the rioters.
There will be so many investigations into the violence and terror unleashed at the Capitol on Wednesday.
But one of the most egregious attacks on democracy happened in plain sight and requires no investigation. It was these 147 lawmakers' votes. huffpost.com/entry/republic…
The more time we have to process what happened Wednesday, and the more details that come out, the more clear it becomes that this could have been so, so, so much worse.
It could have been a massacre in the Capitol.
With the House Speaker and U.S. Vice President as key targets.
So many horrifying details coming out. From a readout from Rep. Jason Crow's phone call today with Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy:
"A greater disaster was narrowly averted."
It's also becoming clear, in case it wasn't obvious, how totally unprepared federal law enforcement was for a Capitol terrorist attack.
"Due to a lack of coordination and preparation, there was not a functioning operations center in the Pentagon to manage the Guard presence..."
! Pelosi calls on Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, and if he doesn't, House Dems may proceed with impeachment.
"If the vice president and the cabinet do not act, the Congress may be prepared to move forward with impeachment," she says in press conf.
Trump is "a very dangerous person who should not continue in office," Pelosi says. "This is urgent. This is an emergency of the highest magnitude."
He may only have 13 days left in office, but "any day can be a horror show for America."
"I don't think it will take long to get an answer from the vice president," Pelosi says re: him willingness to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump.
White House officials and admin officials are suddenly resigning in protest of Trump inciting violence and undermining democracy -- 2 weeks before they're out of a job anyway, and after standing by Trump as he's done this for years. huffpost.com/entry/white-ho…
Stephanie Grisham, chief of staff to Melania Trump and former WH press sec, has quit. She says she was proud to be part of Melania's “mission to help children everywhere."
She didn’t mention that she stood by Trump when he was ripping children from their families at the border.
Mick Mulvaney, former WH chief of staff and current envoy to N Ireland, has quit in disgust too.
“I can’t stay here. Not after yesterday."
He's worked for Trump since Feb 2017 — the same year Trump blamed “many sides” for the deadly white supremacist clashes in Charlottesville.