It will be difficult to protect 535 members of parliament.
They must not only protect their offices in Congress, but also those in their states and districts, and in many cases, their homes and loved ones.
That’s why some members of Congress were so concerned about the vandalism last week at the exterior of Rep. Brad Schneider’s (D-Ill.) office in the Cannon House Office Building.
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“Yesterday, my Capitol Hill office was vandalized in a despicable act of hate, with posters of the more than 100 people still being held hostage in Gaza, including eight Americans, ripped from the walls, shredded and thrown across the hallway,” Schneider said in a post on X on Friday morning, just after the Fourth of July holiday.
Some of the posters were scattered on the floor in front of Schneider’s office door, others were crumpled or had fallen off the wall, leaving only half attached, and others were still attached to the wall in rows, apparently beyond the reach of the vandals.
Schneider is one of the most vocal defenders of Israel in Congress, and contrary to some of his Democratic colleagues, he welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Capitol Hill later this month to address a joint session of Congress.
Rep. Brad Schneider said a poster of hostages still being held in Gaza was torn off a wall outside his office, shredded and thrown across a hallway. Capitol Police are investigating the incident. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
The incident came just days after anti-Israel protesters held a midnight rally outside Schneider’s home in Highland Park, Illinois, where demonstrators banged drums and blew trumpets until police dispersed the crowd of about 34 people, some of whom were shouting anti-Semitic slogans.
“We are aware of this matter and are investigating. To protect the investigation, we cannot provide any further information at this time,” the United States Capitol Police (USCP) said in a statement.
It is a violation of House rules for members of Congress to post anything on the exterior walls of their offices in the Capitol, but the rule is rarely enforced. It’s a long-running controversy between members of Congress and House staff. The controversy came to a head around 2003, when members of Congress insisted on posting photos of U.S. soldiers who had died in the Iraq War.
No one was injured in the vandalism, which took place in Schneider’s office near the Cannon House Office Building Rotunda, and no one attempted to break in. But here’s some important context about what happened: Someone inside the Capitol ripped a hostage poster off the wall.
Here are the detectives’ findings.
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The Cannon House Office Building is open to the public during normal business hours. However, the facility is primarily used by The Capitol is closed to the public for the Fourth of July holiday, with the exception of July 4, when dozens of lawmakers and aides bring hundreds of guests to the Capitol for an Independence Day concert on the West Front. They treat people to drinks and sandwiches, and often escort them up to the Capitol itself or the Speaker’s balcony to watch the show and a spectacular fireworks display on the Mall.
On other holidays, such as Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, the Capitol is largely deserted: no staff or lawmakers, certainly no visitors, no concerts, no celebrations.
Now, let’s move on to the question of who is allowed inside the Capitol on the holiday. Anyone with a permanent hard pass is allowed inside the Capitol building at any time, 24 hours a day. This includes members of Congress, congressional aides, journalists, Capitol Police officers, maintenance and custodial staff, etc. This limits the scope of people who can be anywhere in the Capitol building.
The Cannon House Office Building is routinely patrolled by USCP officers on holidays. Additionally, the USCP has cameras in various halls and areas of the Capitol complex. It is unclear if there is video of this incident. Additionally, more USCP officers are at the Capitol on the Fourth of July than on any other holiday, as tens of thousands of people descend on the grounds for concerts and fireworks. However, most of the focus is on maintaining order and ensuring security for the concerts.
Capitol Police are investigating the vandalism that occurred inside the Capitol building over the Fourth of July holiday. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
Now we move onto the disturbing part of this equation: the person who vandalized the poster outside of Rep. Schneider’s office was either someone brought into the building by the congressman or someone who works there — this was not some member of the public who just happened to be wandering through the building on a Thursday afternoon because the facility is open.
But this is just one example of a growing trend in recent years of violence and threats against MPs, their families, staff and parliamentary property.
“Have you noticed a significant increase in criminal activity against members of Congress over the last year or two?” Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) asked at a House hearing this spring.
“It’s been a concern for a few years now,” Capitol Police Chief Tom Munger responded.
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There were 8,000 threats against lawmakers last year, a sharp increase from 2,000 a few years ago.
“We’ve seen carjackings, we’ve seen one of our colleagues attacked in an elevator in his own building,” said Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.).
Vice was referring to the carjacking of Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), which happened not far from the Capitol, and the attack on Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) at her Washington home.
Last year, a group of robbers pistol-whipped an aide to Rep. Brad Finstad (R-Minn.) after a congressional baseball game at nearby Nationals Park.
“The threat level is increasing,” said Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Democrat of New York.
U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Munger testified at a House Administration Committee hearing on May 16, 2023. Munger said there have been concerns about criminal activity against members of Congress in recent years. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
In 2023, a man bludgeoned two aides to Rep. Gerry Connolly (D) with a baseball bat at his campaign office in Northern Virginia, followed by a brutal assault on Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Some local prosecutors have refused to take on cases involving threats or violence against lawmakers.
“That’s the responsibility of the prosecutors and city councils that govern these cities and communities,” said Rep. Byron Donald, R-Fla.
US prosecutors in Indiana have not charged a man who made death threats against Rep. Jim Banks (R-Indiana).
The U.S. Capitol Police recently hired special legal liaison officers in California and Florida to assist local authorities with special prosecutions involving members of Congress.
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“We haven’t seen as many prosecutions as we would have liked,” Munger said. “Not everyone understands how to commit a hate crime.”
Munger has said he wants all threats against lawmakers investigated because he worries that others who might do harm will slip through the cracks, which is why Capitol Police are continuing to investigate the incident at Schneider’s office on the Capitol grounds.
If possible criminal charges are found, it will be up to local authorities in Washington, D.C., to decide whether to bring charges. It illustrates the backlash Schneider and others have faced for their support of Israel, and highlights the threat those who hold such views pose in the relative sanctity and safety of Congress.
