US -American Capitol police officers are in Washington on June 16, 2025, DC (photo of Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Wache outside of the US Capitol.
Washington – The US Senate will gather behind closed doors on Tuesday to hear from the federal law enforcement officers on the protection of legislators and the security of their families, only a few days after a shooter is supposedly exposed to the legislator in Minnesota.
The briefing of the US Capitol Police and the Sergeant of Arms in the Senate follows years of increasing funds for both companies as threats and tried murdering against congress members have become part of the job.
The democratic chairman of the Senate, Chuck Schumer from New York, said on Monday on the ground that the alleged shooter had a list of more than 70 civil servants he wanted to address, including several members of the Senate.
“My currently highest priority is to work together with the leadership of the Senate on both sides, the Senate Sergeant at Arms and Capitol Police to ensure the security of everyone,” said Schumer. “This weekend I asked the Capitol police and the Sergeant to increase security for members, including Sen. (Alex) Padilla and the senators of Minnesota.”
The Senator of California, Padilla violently removed from a press conference After trying to ask the secretary of the Minister of Homeland Protection Minister Kristi, there was no question while she was still talking.
Schumer said that the briefing for USCP and the SAA would be an opportunity to “convey what they do so that the members protect them.
He asked the senators to “get together” to oppose political violence in all forms before criticizing the Republican Senator of Utah, Mike Lee, for social media contributions. Lee made two Contributions The condemned.
“I was deeply disappointed and sick when a member of this chamber used the tragedy in Minnesota to take cheap political shots on the other on the social media and to risk escalating a dangerous moment,” said Schumer. “What the Senior Senator from Utah wrote after the shootout was ruthless and under the dignity of his office.
“It is deeply irresponsible that a senator can subject the flames of the division with incorrect cases. He should take off his post immediately and apologize to the families of the victims.”
To Another social media accountLee wrote: “These hateful attacks have no place in Utah, Minnesota or somewhere in America.”
The suspect faces state and state charges
Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar in Minnesota said on Sunday while an interview At NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the attack on the two state legislators and their spouses was clearly motivated by politics.
Klobuchar said she received additional security and was concerned about the possibility of further attacks against the legislator.
“I have already had threats, as some of our colleagues did,” said Klobuchar. “And I think one of the things is, we don’t talk much about this stuff because they don’t want to see a imitator who copies exactly what they did.”
The alleged shooter was arrested on Sunday After a search it was Delimed by prosecutors and federal prosecutors With the murder of the state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband and tried to kill the Senator John Hoffman and his wife.
The suspect Went to the houses of at least two other state legislators and had a list According to the police from democratic legislators and abortion providers.
The legislature states that they were on the list of goals
The US house does not receive any security discussion this week, since its members are no longer under the meeting in a district. As a rule, a time when the legislators for town halls and other public events are back in their communities, although the shootings have caused some members to change their schedules.
Michigan Hillary Scholten’s democratic MP announced on Monday that she would postpone her town hall in Muskegon and wrote in an explanation that she did not want to “redirect to protect the wider public at that time”.
“Nothing is more important to me than the security and well -being of the people I serve,” wrote. “After I was aware that my name was on a list that was connected to the recent tragic shootings in Minnesota, my office made the difficult decision to postpone our planned town hall in Muskegon.”
Scholten added that she hoped to “re -plan this event as soon as possible”.
The Democratic MP from Ohio, Greg Landsman, published a statement on Monday in which he announced that USCP strengthens his security after his name was found in Minnesota among the shooters’ alleged possessions.
“On Sunday morning, the Capitol police contacted my office to tell me that the FBI had found my name among the evidence that were collected during the search for a suspect in Minnesota – which is accused of murdering and seriously injured,” wrote Landsman. “Since the suspect at this time worked on a large foot at a clear foot at the time, we worked very closely with the police department of Cincinnati to cause greater security for my family and me.”
The Texas Democratic MP Veronica Escobar wrote in a explanation on social media that it was one of the people who had the alleged Minnesota shooter on his list.
“This was only a day after demonstrators were shot in Utah, a extremist drove a car in protests in Virginia, against the legislators of the state in Austin, credible threats were made, and a man addressed a weapon here in El Paso,” wrote Escobar.
The democratic chairman of the house, Hakeem Jeffries and the New York democratic MP Joseph D. Morelle, a rank member of the committee for property management, wrote to spokesman Mike Johnson, R-La on Monday.
“Although we differ in many areas in connection with politics and our vision for the future of America, the security of members must be an area of ​​similarities. Representatives from both sides of the Ganges have attempts to murder that have changed their lives and career forever,” the two wrote. “Too many other patriotic civil servants left the congress because they no longer felt safe to fulfill their duty as elected civil servants. We have to act to protect each other and save this large American institution.”
To boost threats over the years
Members of the congress and their families are no strangers for threats that have increased steadily for years, Attacks and shootings.
The husband of the former house speaker Nancy Pelosi was attacked in your family home In San Francisco in October 2022 by a man who was looking for a hammer looking for Pelosi, a California Democrat.
Steve Scalisene, R-La, the majority leader of the house majority was shot and seriously wounded in 2017 when a shooter opened the fire among the GOP legislators, who practiced the annual baseball game of the congress. Several others were injured during the shootout.
Arizona Gabby Gifford’s democratic MP, in 2011, survived in a meeting in a food parking space when a shooter opened the fire, killed six people and injured a dozen others.
Even President Donald Trump, who has extensive intelligence protection, was shot in the ear Last July during the election campaign in Pennsylvania. The shooter in this incident killed the local fireman Corey Commeratore and injured two more.
The union that represents the US Capitol police Wait more than a year ago That the federal law enforcement agency had difficulties to keep up with an increasingly enemy political environment and lack of personnel.
“We have never seen a threat environment like this,” wrote the chairman of the union, Gus Papathanasiou in an explanation. “In view of the profound divisions in this country and this year’s elections, people ask me if I am concerned, and I tell them that I am concerned – very concerned.”
Former USCP leader Thomas Manger, who retired at the beginning of this year How few threats against members of the congress were actually pursued under criminal law successful.
Only a few threats led to law enforcement
Klobuchar, who was the chairman of the Senate rule and administrative committee at the time of the hearing, said USCP noted 458 threats for law enforcement in 2021, with 40 those who led to legal proceedings. That was from 9,625 total threats.
Only 22 of the 7,501 threats, which dealt with the members in 2022, led to a law enforcement, as a USCP spokesman confirmed the status newsroom at the time.
The threats to the legislator have increased since then.
The USCP examined 8,008 “in relation to statements and direct threats to the congress members, including their families and employees” in 2023 and 9,474 in 2024 Data From USCP.
