House Majority Whip James Clyburn has been fined $5,000 for bypassing the metal detectors just off the House floor, becoming the first Democrat to be fined for such a violation since enacting the rule.
News of the fine was confirmed in a letter sent to the House Ethics Committee, in which acting Sergeant at Arms Timothy Blodgett confirmed that Clyburn (D-SC) had been notified of the fine.
Clyburn, the No. 3 Democrat in the House, confirmed to CNN that he had received the fine, telling the network “I have no idea,” when asked why he was fined.
He told the network that he planned to dispute the charge, saying, “It’s just somebody on the other side trying to cause mischief,” without providing further evidence.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) docked $5,000 each from the pay of two GOP congressmen back in February for flouting her new metal detectors, installed after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) were the first House members hit with the dramatic fine, which is taken directly from their $174,000 salaries.
House Majority Whip James Clyburn told CNN he had “no idea,” why he received a $5,000 fine. Getty ImagesGohmert and Clyde both called for Pelosi to be fined in February after she was seen evading one of the metal detectors, though she never was.
Gohmert argued at the time that he usually complies with the metal detectors, but didn’t on a single occasion after stepping out to use the bathroom.
House Majority Whip James Clyburn told CNN he plans on disputing the $5,000 fine, saying, “It’s just somebody on the other side trying to cause mischief.” Bloomberg via Getty Images“Unlike in the movie ‘The Godfather,’ there are no toilets with tanks where one could hide a gun, so my reentry onto the House floor should have been a non-issue,” Gohmert said in a statement.
Blodgett argued after he was fined and Pelosi wasn’t that US Capitol Police must file a complaint before legislators can be docked pay. Going on to claim there had been no such report about the House speaker.
House Majority Whip James Clyburn at a two-day House Democratic Caucus virtual issues retreat in the US Capitol in Washington, DC on March 2, 2021. REUTERS/Leah Millis“Only the USCP can determine whether an individual has failed to complete security screening as only the USCP has sufficient training to determine compliance with USCP screening procedures,” Blodgett wrote.
It was Clyburn’s endorsement of Biden in the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary that revived his candidacy and catapulted him back to front-runner status following dismal showings in Iowa and New Hampshire.
House Majority Whip James Clyburn walks through the US Capitol during then-President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial on January 13, 2021. REUTERS/Leah MillisBiden’s ascent to the nomination is largely credited to his dominating performance in South Carolina.
Clyburn has since worked closely with the Biden administration on a range of issues and after Biden’s inauguration, he told reporters, “George Bush said to me today, he said, ‘You know, you’re the savior because if you had not nominated Joe Biden, we would not be having this transfer of power today.’”
