Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-California) is demanding answers from the United States Capitol Police in the wake of Friday’s home invasion attack on Paul Pelosi, which is prompting calls for greater protection from lawmakers.
Lofgren — the chair of the House Administration Committee, which oversees Capitol police — wrote a letter to department chief Thomas Manger asking a series of questions about the security systems in place for lawmakers and the response. of law enforcement in Friday’s attack on President Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) home in San Francisco.
Paul Pelosi, 82, was hospitalized with a fractured skull and other serious injuries.
“The incident and related circumstances, including the manner in which the president and her family were targeted, raise important questions about security protections for members of Congress, especially those in the presidential succession,” Lofgren wrote. in the letter, which is dated Tuesday.
One area Lofgren focused on was the presidential line of succession. Pelosi is second in the presidency, as speaker of the House, and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), acting speaker of the house, is third.
Lofgren asked Manger if Capitol Police had conducted a ‘physical security posture’ review for people in the line of succession, and pressed the chief if the department had received feedback or worked with the Secret Service. US “regarding appropriate physical security requirements to protect such individuals.
The board chair also asked about the potential extension of protections to lawmakers’ family members in the line of succession, a topic that has been salient in the days following the Paul Pelosi attack. .
“Has the USCP ever submitted an action plan or request to the [sergeant-at-arms] and/or the Capitol Police Board to extend coverage to spouses and/or other family members of congressional leaders in the presidential line of succession? If not, why not?” Lofgren asked.
Authorities allege David DePape, 42, broke into the Pelosis home in San Francisco in the early hours of Oct. 28 looking for the president, who was in Washington, DC, at the time.
According to the Justice Department affidavit, DePape threatened to hold the president hostage and break his kneecaps.
Later in the altercation, DePape allegedly hit Paul Pelosi in the head with a hammer, causing serious injuries. He was taken to hospital, where he underwent successful surgery to treat a fractured skull and serious injuries to his right arm and hands. He is expected to make a full recovery, the president’s office said.
DePape faces multiple federal and state charges, including attempted murder and attempted kidnapping.
Capitol police came under intense scrutiny after the attack. The department confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that cameras installed to monitor the president’s home in San Francisco “were not actively monitored as they are when the president is at the residence.”
The Washington Post first reported Tuesday, citing unnamed sources, that Capitol police cameras captured the break-in and assault, but officers only realized the activity after the fact.
On Tuesday, Manger called for “more resources to provide additional layers of physical security for members of Congress,” citing “the current political climate.”
In addition to questions regarding the presidential line of succession, Lofgren also asked Manger whether the Capitol Police had “adopted a written strategic plan” or “standard operating procedures for officers to detail at proposed regional or field offices.”
She asked if those plans were followed by Capitol Police in the attack on Paul Pelosi.
Capitol Police announced last year that it was opening field offices in San Francisco and Tampa.
Lofgren also pressed Manger on whether or not the Capitol Police had rejected an FBI offer to assign Capitol Police officers seconded to field offices in San Francisco and Tampa as task force officers with the FBI’s joint terrorism task forces. She asked if the request was accurate and if the department would “reconsider this offer.”