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- House Majority Whip James Clyburn faces a $5,000 fine after Capitol Police said he bypassed metal detectors.
- If he doesn’t appeal, Clyburn would be the first Democrat to be fined for violating the security protocols.
- Metal detectors were installed at the Capitol following the January 6 riots.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
A Democratic congressman was fined $5,000 for failing to complete the Capitol’s metal detector security protocol, according to a document from the Committee of Ethics released earlier this week.
A Capitol police report of the April 20 incident said House Majority James Clyburn “deliberately avoided being screened by refusing to submit to screening at the West lobby screening point.”
“Congressman Clyburn went to the restroom, came out, and continued past the officers and into the House Chamber,” according to the report.
Metal detectors were installed at the Capitol by the order of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi following the January 6 riots.
A spokesperson for Clyburn’s office said in a statement to Politico that the South Carolina Democrat “respects the rules of the chamber and he disputes the characterization of this incident.” A source familiar with the incident also told Politico that Clyburn went around the metal detector to return to the House floor, but he had gone through the security less than 10 minutes earlier.
On Wednesday, acting Sergeant at Arms Timothy P. Blodgett wrote in a letter to the House Ethics Committee that Clyburn has been notified of the fine and his right to appeal within the next 30 days. Clyburn told CNN’s Manu Raju on Thursday that he plans to appeal the fine.
He would be the first Democrat to be fined for violating the Capitol’s security protocols.
Multiple GOP members have refused to comply with the security measures, including Reps. Louie Gohmert and Andrew Clyde.
In January, Pelosi said lawmakers will face a fine deducted from their salary for bypassing metal detectors – $5,000 for the first violation and $10,000 for the second. House Democrats voted in February to uphold the consequence for violation the new safety measures.
“It is tragic that this step is necessary, but the Chamber of the People’s House must and will be safe,” she said when announcing the fines.
Clyde said in February he planned to “fight” the $5,000 fine for evading metal detectors. He is forced to pay upwards of $15,000 in fines for avoiding being screened after a House Ethics Committee rejected his appeals in April, Forbes reported.
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