The Capitol Police have been ordered to arrest visitors and staff who refuse to put on a mask on the House side of the Capitol complex.
Details of the order were tweeted by Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., who obtained a copy of the memo distributed at Thursday’s morning roll call from an unnamed police officer, according to Fox News.
She tweeted: "In today’s edition of (House Speaker Nancy) Pelosi’s abuse of power, Capitol Police have been directed to arrest staff and visitors to comply with her mask mandate for vaccinated individuals. For Members, they advise not arresting but "reporting Members to SAA (sergeant-at-arms) for their failure to comply."
She included a copy of the arrest memo in her tweet.
The memo from Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said: "If a visitor or staff members fails to wear a mask after a request is made to do so, the visitor or staff shall be denied entry to the House office buildings or House-side of the U.S. Capitol. Any person who fails to either comply or leave the premises after being asked to do so would be subject to arrest for unlawful entry."
Cammack told Fox News that she’s spoken to police officers who are "very uncomfortable with this order."
"This is such an overstep of Speaker Pelosi's authority to basically make our Capitol Police arrest staff members and report on members [of Congress]," Cammack said. "It's absolutely unconscionable that this is where we're at."
Attending Physician Brian Monahan Tuesday night reimposed a mask-wearing requirement for lawmakers and all others while they are on the House floor, and in hallways and offices, according to Bloomberg News.
"For all House office buildings, the Hall of the House, and House Committee meetings, wearing of a well-fitted, medical grade, filtration face mask is required when an individual is in an interior space and other individuals are present," Monahan said in a memo.
Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., blasted the arrest order in a Thursday tweet.
He wrote: "To be clear: Pelosi is directing police to ARREST vaccinated people who aren’t wearing masks. This isn’t about science — it’s about power and control."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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