Posted on 03/31/2006 8:54:36 AM PST by MikeA
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Capitol Hill police plan to issue an arrest warrant today for Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.).
The warrant is related to the incident Wednesday when McKinney allegedly slapped a Capitol Hill police officer.
Charges could range from assault on a police officer, which is a felony carrying a possible five year prison term, to simple assault, which is a misdeamenor.
McKinney has canceled a news conference that she had scheduled for this morning to discuss the incident.
McKinney issued a statement yesterday saying she "deeply regrets" the confrontation with the police officer.
The six-term congresswoman apparently struck a Capitol Police officer when he tried to stop her from entering a House office building without going through a metal detector. Members of Congress wear identifying lapel pins and routinely are waved into buildings without undergoing security checks. The officer apparently did not recognize McKinney, she said in a statement.
Asked on-camera Thursday by Channel 2 Action News whether she intended to apologize, McKinney refused to comment.
"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 in the statement on her Web site.
Democrats and Republicans, meanwhile, engaged in a rhetorical scuffle over the incident.
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday labeled it "a mistake, an unfortunate lack of recognition of a member of Congress." She added that the police officer was not at fault.
"I would not make a big deal of this," said Pelosi, D-Calif.
Ron Bonjean, spokesman for House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., responded: "How many officers would have to be punched before it becomes a big deal?"
The dustup is the latest in a series of tangles for the roughly 1,200-officer Capitol Police department.
The department faces a difficult task -- protecting 535 members of Congress and the vast Capitol complex in an atmosphere thick with politics and privilege.
The safety of its members became a sensitive issue after a gunman in 1998 killed two officers outside the office of then-Republican Whip Tom DeLay of Texas.
More recently, police obeyed an order by an angry House Ways and Means Committee chairman, Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Calif., to remove Democrats from a hearing room. Thomas later tearfully apologized on the House floor.
This year, during President Bush's State of the Union address, police drew criticism for first kicking antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan out of the House gallery, and then for evicting the wife of Rep. Bill Young, R-Fla.
Merle Black, a professor of politics at Emory University, says that while the scuffle was rare for an elected politician, it's unlikely to cost McKinney more than a few votes. Black says McKinney is in damage control -- cutting her losses by not insisting on right or wrong.
Could be some hooch, she's definitely caused a Ripple and continues to wine.
Oh how I look forward to a Photoshop guru Freeper assembling a quite funny graphic of Sluggo McKinney.
I wonder if she has an agent, after being booted from Congress, she could go on the fight circuit.
Maybe Tyson/Mckinney card as the warmup, followed by jello wrestling cage matches with Teddy Kennedy doing the atomic drop from the ropes. Saaaaweeeeet.
So, would this be a "breach of the peace"? I know congresspeople routinely use this to get off from speeding arrests.
Oh yeah. McKinney's going to the pokey. This is so good it's got to be fattening.
And some are more equal than even the more equal animals...
U.S. Code
TITLE 40 —PUBLIC BUILDINGS, PROPERTY, AND WORKS
SUBTITLE II —PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND WORKS
PART B —UNITED STATES CAPITOL
CHAPTER 51 —UNITED STATES CAPITOL BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS
§ 5101. Definition
In this chapter, the term “Capitol Buildings” means the United States Capitol, the Senate and House Office Buildings and garages, the Capitol Power Plant, all buildings on the real property described under section 5102 (c) (including the Administrative Building of the United States Botanic Garden), all subways and enclosed passages connecting two or more of those structures, and the real property underlying and enclosed by any of those structures.
§ 5104. Unlawful activities
(a) Definitions.— In this section—
(1) Act of physical violence.— The term “act of physical violence” means any act involving—(e) Capitol Grounds and Buildings Security.—
(A) an assault or other infliction or threat of infliction of death or bodily harm on an individual; or
(B) damage to, or destruction of, real or personal property.
(2) Violent entry and disorderly conduct.— An individual or group of individuals may not willfully and knowingly—
(F) engage in an act of physical violence in the Grounds or any of the Capitol Buildings; or(3) Exemption of government officials.— This subsection does not prohibit any act performed in the lawful discharge of official duties by—
(A) a Member of Congress;
That would have brought the question of what would have happened to that thug if she had punched a real cop.
There are a lot of wonderful days spent here on Free Republic, but some days are undeniably more delicious than others. With this and the Senate NSA hearings, this is one of those days.
He isn't a guard. He is a Capitol police officer. That makes the issue much more serious.
Yes, that does change things! Thanks for the correction!
"A perp walk would be great! I think the perfect attire for this evening would be an orange jump suit."
Be sure to let her wear her congressional pin tho! We would not want anyone to not recognize her!
We would be put in jail, post a 1000 dollar bond, show up for trial and get 6 mos. probation. I do agree 100% about the arrogant, out of control, mentally deranged part though.
"...refused to comment."
She's waiting for the polls back home to come in so she knows which way to spin this.
The Capitol police have procedures in place specifically to protect your sorry butt, sin-dee (what is it with that name lately?). Yet you persist in dissing those procedures and those officers - if you were my rep I would sure be questioning your judgement, never mind how inappropriate your behavior was.
Not unless it was a Republican that scuffled with Police.
You are absolutely right. It is ridiculous in this time of terrorism that anyone is allowed to avoid screening when entering a government building in the Capitol of the United States.
Considering that the earlier reports about the (now-cancelled) presser said she was going to use film clips to apparently paint a pattern of antogonism by the CHP toward her, I somehow doubt the veracity of her claim of support.
BTW... why didn't she notify the White House press corps immediately when the incident occurred?
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