Protecting 535 members of Congress is a challenge.
Not to mention the security of their offices on Capitol Hill, as well as their offices in their home states or districts. And in many cases, even the security of their homes and loved ones.
That’s what some on Capitol Hill found Demolition on outside wall Such was the horror of the situation that erupted last week in the office of Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Illinois, in the Cannon House Office Building.
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“Yesterday my Capitol office was vandalized in a disgusting act of hate, in which posters of the over 100 people still held hostage in Gaza (including 8 Americans) were ripped off the wall, torn down, and thrown into the hallway,” Schneider said in a post on X on Friday morning, just after the July 4 holiday.
Some posters lay scattered on the floor in front of Schneider’s office door. Other posters had been ripped off the wall or torn off, still half stuck. Several rows of other posters remained stuck to the wall, apparently out of reach of the saboteur or saboteurs.
Schneider is one of Israel’s most vocal supporters in Congress. Unlike some of his Democratic colleagues, Schneider welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Capitol Hill later this month to deliver a speech to a joint meeting of Congress.
Representative Brad Schneider said posters of hostages still held in Gaza were ripped off the wall outside his office, torn down and thrown into the hallway. Capitol Police are investigating the incident. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
This incident happened just a few days after Anti-Israel protesters rally outside Schneider’s home A mob attacked a protest in Highland Park, Illinois, at midnight. They beat drums and blew trumpets until police dispersed the crowd of about three dozen people. Some also shouted anti-Semitic slogans.
The US Capitol Police (USCP) said in a statement, “We are aware of the incident and are investigating. To protect the investigation, we cannot provide any further information at this time.”
It is against House rules to post anything offensive on the outside walls of their offices in the Capitol complex. But that is rarely enforced. It’s a long-running dispute between lawmakers and House officials. It reached a peak during the war in Iraq – around 2003 – when members took issue with posting photos of American servicemen and women killed in the conflict.
No one was injured in the break-in at Schneider’s office near the Cannon House Office Building Rotunda. No one tried to break in. But here’s some important context about what happened: Someone inside the Capitol complex tore the hostage posters off the wall.
There’s some detective work here.
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The Cannon House Office Building is open to the public during normal business hours. But the facility is closed most of the time. The Capitol is closed to the public for the July 4 holiday. The exception is on July 4. Dozens of lawmakers and aides bring hundreds of guests to the Capitol for the Independence Day concert on the West Front. They serve people drinks and sandwiches and often take them to watch the show in the Capitol or even the Speaker’s Balcony and watch the spectacular fireworks display on the Mall.
On any holiday other than July 4th — like Thanksgiving or New Year’s Day — the Capitol complex is nearly deserted. It’s devoid of staff, lawmakers and, of course, guests. There are no concerts or festivities.
This brings us to the conclusion about who else is allowed into the Capitol complex on the holiday: anyone with a permanent hard pass is allowed to be there around the clock. This includes lawmakers, congressional aides, journalists, Capitol Police officers, as well as maintenance and custodial staff. So, there is a certain category of people who are allowed to go anywhere in the Capitol buildings.
The Cannon House Office Building has the usual contingent of USCP officers patrolling it on the holiday. In addition, the USCP has multiple cameras in various halls and locations throughout the congressional facilities. It is unclear if there is video of the incident. Additionally, there will be more USCP officers in the Capitol Complex on July 4th than any other holiday. This is because thousands of people flock to the grounds for the concert and fireworks. However, much of the focus is on maintaining order and keeping the concert safe.
Capitol Police are investigating vandalism that occurred inside the Capitol building during the July 4 holiday. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
This brings us to the troubling part of the equation: Whoever destroyed the posters outside Schneider’s office was either brought into the building by a legislator or someone who works there. It wasn’t done by someone who was walking alone into the building on a Thursday afternoon because the facility was open.
But this is just another example of a growing trend. Violence and threats against MPsOver the years, senior Congress leaders, their family members, staff and Congress property have been targeted.
“Have you seen a significant increase in criminal activity against members of Congress in the last year or two?” asked Rep. Andrew Clyde at a House hearing earlier this spring.
“This has been an issue of concern over the last couple of years,” Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said.
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Last year, 8,000 threats were made to MPs. This is a huge increase, whereas a few years ago the number was just 2,000.
“We’ve seen car thefts. We’ve seen one of our colleagues get attacked in the elevator of her building,” said Rep. Stephanie Bice, a Republican, Okla.
Bice was referring to the car theft of Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, just blocks from the Capitol. Representative Angie Craig harassed by a goonD-Minn., at his D.C. home.
Muggers pistol-whipped an aide to Rep. Brad Finstad, R-Minnesota, after a congressional baseball game at nearby Nats Park last year.
“The threat level has increased,” said Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y.
US Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger testifies during a House Administration Committee hearing on May 16, 2023. Manger said criminal activity against members of Congress has been a concern over the past few years. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
A man beat two aides to Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., with a baseball bat at his Northern Virginia district office in 2023. And then there was Brutal beating of Paul PelosiThe husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
There have been instances where some local prosecutors have refused to take on cases involving threats and violence against lawmakers.
“It’s in the hands of these prosecutors and city councils that run these cities and these areas,” said Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Florida.
A US attorney in Indiana failed to prosecute a man who Rep. Jim Banks receives death threatsR-Ind.
The U.S. Capitol Police recently appointed special legal liaison officers in California and Florida to assist local authorities with special prosecutions involving members of Congress.
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“We didn’t get the level of prosecution that we wanted,” Manger said. “Not everybody knows how to deal with hate crime.”
Manger says he wants all threats against lawmakers to be investigated. Otherwise, he worries someone who might mean harm could slip through the cracks. That’s why Capitol Police are continuing to investigate the incident at Schneider’s office on Capitol Hill.
If they find something potentially criminal, it will be up to local authorities in Washington, D.C. to prosecute. It shows the kind of backlash Schneider and others are facing for supporting Israel. And it underscores the dangers people with such views face amid the relative sanctity and safety of the halls of Congress.
