McKinney says she regrets striking security officer

WASHINGTON — Rep. Cynthia McKinney of Georgia struck a Capitol Hill police officer Wednesday morning after the officer, not recognizing her as a member of Congress, tried to stop her from stepping around a security checkpoint, police confirmed.

The incident "has been brought to our attention and it is being investigated," said Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, a spokeswoman for Capitol Hill police.

Congressional and police authorities, who spoke on condition that they not be named, said the investigation into the incident would stretch into today and that no arrest warrant would be issued for the DeKalb County Democrat — if, indeed, one is — until it is completed.

McKinney issued a statement Wednesday night saying she regretted the confontation.

"I know that Capitol Hill Police are securing our safety, and I appreciate the work that they do. I have demonstrated my support for them in the past, and I continue to support them now," she said.

A deputy police chief and a representative of the House's sergeant-at-arms visited McKinney's congressional office Wednesday afternoon. Neither commented to reporters.

The officer involved was not identified, but police officials said he was ready to press charges against McKinney — a rare, if not unprecedented, action by a Capitol police officer against a member of Congress.

Police and congressional officials said they were not aware of any other incidents in which a member of Congress struck a Capitol Hill police officer or an officer pressed charges against a member, though conflicts between members and police at security checkpoints are not rare.

The incident occurred when McKinney was entering a House office building on Capitol Hill. She started walking around a metal detector and X-ray machine at one of the building's entrances, as members of Congress are allowed to do, when the officer tried to stop her, congressional and police officials said.

The officer either tapped McKinney on the shoulder or grabbed her arm, they said. McKinney spun around and struck the officer, though there are conflicting reports about whether she slapped him, punched him in the chest or hit him with a cellphone she had in her hand, they said.

Congressional staffers who have worked with McKinney said several factors may have contributed to the officer's failure to recognize McKinney as a member of Congress.

McKinney usually does not wear the special lapel pin given to members of Congress to make them easier to identify, and she apparently was not wearing it Wednesday morning, congressional and police officials said. Kerri Hanley, of the House sergeant-at-arms' office, said members are not required to wear the pin, though most do.

Police also keep books with pictures of each member at security checkpoints in the Capitol and in House and Senate office buildings to help them recognize lawmakers. However, even if the officer had consulted the book, he may not have recognized McKinney, who has altered her hairstyle since her official House photo was taken, congressional aides noted.

This is not the first time McKinney has had an encounter with Capitol Hill police. When she first arrived in Congress in 1993, an officer failed to recognize her because she was new and not wearing the congressional pin. After she complained, police put pictures of McKinney up at each security checkpoint to ensure it would not happen again.

McKinney also once ran into problems at the White House. USA Today reported that when McKinney, who is African-American, and a young white aide arrived at a welcoming ceremony in May 1998 for then-Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, the guard at the gate deferred to the aide as the person of authority. Once in the executive mansion, McKinney said, another guard tried to stop her until Rep. James Moran (D-Va.) stepped in.

"I am absolutely sick and tired of having to have my appearance at the White House validated by white people," McKinney wrote in a complaint to then-President Bill Clinton. "I don't need to be stopped or questioned because I happen to look like hired help."

Republicans were quick to comment on Wednesday's incident, circulating an e-mail noting that McKinney's confrontation with the Capitol Hill officer came on the same day that her party announced an election-year "affirmation" of its commitment to shoring up the nation's security.

"On the day when Democrats held a media stunt to unveil their security agenda, Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) hit a Capitol police officer. Not exactly a show of support for law enforcement," wrote Sean Spicer, spokesman for the House Republican Conference.

Brian Robinson, an aide to Republican Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia, said he spotted McKinney on Wednesday evening as she entered the Longworth House Office Building. Robinson said she walked around the security checkpoint, then — though no one tried to stop her — walked back and showed the police officer her congressional ID. Robinson said she still wasn't wearing her congressional lapel pin.

http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/033006/news3.html

March 30, 2006


McKinney in fracas with officer By Josephine Hearn and Jonathan E. Kaplan
A U.S. Capitol Police officer is considering filing assault charges against Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) following an altercation yesterday in which she allegedly hit him after he asked to see identification, according to a source familiar with the incident. The incident occurred at approximately 8:50 yesterday morning at the New Jersey Avenue and C Street entrance to the Longworth Building. As McKinney was entering the building, the officer stopped her and asked for identification. McKinney allegedly hit him before identifying herself as a member of Congress and walking away, the source said. McKinney’s office would not comment on the incident yesterday afternoon. Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, spokeswoman for the Capitol Police, was unable to confirm the details of the account, saying, “The matter has been brought to our attention and is currently under investigation.” Members of the House do not typically display their congressional ID cards around the Capitol complex, as staff do, but many wear the official lapel pin for the 109th Congress. It was not known whether McKinney was displaying the pin yesterday. With or without the pin, many Congress members pass through security with merely a nod or hello to security officers. They are not required to pass through metal detectors. Capitol Hill publication Hotline reported a witness’s account on its blog. According to the blog, the witness recounted that the officer pursued McKinney after she failed to pass through the metal detector. As the officer took McKinney by the arm, she swung around and punched him in the chest while still holding on to her cell phone. The incident is likely to have been caught on videotape, since all Capitol Hill entrances are monitored by cameras. Republicans wasted no time pouncing on the events. National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Carl Forti tied the altercation to Democrats’ unveiling of their security agenda yesterday. “Today’s ironic one-two punch from national Democrats trying to look tough on security finds Cynthia McKinney attacking a member of the law-enforcement community,” he said. “When we said Democrats were all talk and no action on security, we did not mean to provoke them to take matters into their own cell-phone-clutching hands.” The incident yesterday was uncannily reminiscent of a scene in a recent documentary about McKinney, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Filmmaker Ian Inaba followed her around Capitol Hill for “American Blackout,” about African-American voting rights and McKinney’s 2002 reelection bid. In one scene, McKinney is walking into the House side of the Capitol with Inaba when a white Capitol Police officer stops her. McKinney informs him that she is a congresswoman, prompting an immediate apology. She then told the filmmaker that she is often challenged when entering the Capitol. The documentary debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January. First elected in 1992, McKinney, 51, has a history of lashing out at government security guards: • In 1993, after she complained about being stopped by security guards, Capitol Police posted a photo of her on an office wall so that officers could remember who she was. • In 1995, McKinney reportedly contacted the sergeant at arms after a white Capitol Police officer asked her to consent to a security check. • In 1996 and 1998, she complained that White House security officials failed to recognize her and did not give her the same treatment as other members of Congress, at one time mistaking her 23-year-old white aide for the congresswoman. “I am absolutely sick and tired of having to have my appearance at the White House validated by white people,” she said at the time. Those comments and others have earned McKinney a reputation as one of the most outspoken and controversial members of Congress. Shortly after Sept. 11, McKinney apologized to a member of the Saudi royal family after New York’s then-mayor, Rudy Giuliani, rejected the family’s $10 million contribution to recovery efforts on the grounds that the Saudis had said the attacks had been provoked by U.S. support of Israel. Later, McKinney argued that President Bush may have ignored warnings of the impending attacks to buoy defense stocks. McKinney drew a challenger in her 2002 primary, African-American Judge Denise Majette. The race focused on Middle East issues, juxtaposing McKinney’s sympathies with Arab causes with Majette’s support from Jewish groups. Majette won with a 16 percent margin, a rare and embarrassing defeat for an incumbent. Majette later ran unsuccessfully for the Senate, and McKinney won back her old seat. When she returned to the House, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) broke with tradition and denied her the seniority her previous service would have allowed her in committee rankings.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.