A congressional staff member assisting Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) was arrested on Monday evening for carrying a pistol at the U.S. Capitol without a license after bypassing security with Booker ahead of the Democrat senator’s 25-hour speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
In a Tuesday statement to The Hill, the U.S. Capitol Police said, “Yesterday afternoon a Member of Congress led an IDed staff member around security screening at the Hart Senate Office Building. Later that evening, outside the Senate Galleries, the IDed staff member — who is a retired law enforcement officer — told our officers he was armed.”
The U.S. Capitol Police identified the congressional staff member as Kevin A. Batts, a 59-year-old resident of New Jersey. The U.S. Capitol Police told The Hill that Batts was arrested for “Carrying a Pistol Without a License.”
“All weapons are prohibited from Capitol Grounds, even if you are a retired law enforcement officer, or have a permit to carry in another state or the District of Columbia,” the U.S. Capitol Police added.
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Following Monday’s incident involving Booker’s staff member, Jeff Giertz, a Booker spokesperson, told Fox News, “Sen. Booker’s office employs a retired Newark police detective as a New Jersey-based driver who often accompanies him to events. We are working to better understand the circumstances around this.”
NOTUS reported that Batts was arrested at roughly 6:29 p.m. on Monday evening prior to Booker’s speech on the floor of the Senate, which started approximately 30 minutes after his staff member’s arrest.
According to CNN, Booker’s office confirmed that the Democrat senator spoke for 25 hours and 5 minutes on the floor of the Senate in protest against President Donald Trump’s administration. The New Jersey Democrat’s speech broke the previous record for the longest Senate floor speech in modern American history.
Prior to the start of his speech on Monday evening, Booker tweeted, “I’ve taken the Senate floor and will speak for as long as I’m physically able to lift the voices of Americans who are being harmed and not being heard in this moment of crisis.”
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