All articles tagged with #capitol
A D.C. Circuit panel held that the Capitol's East Steps are a nonpublic forum and may be restricted only in a viewpoint-neutral, non-arbitrary way, a ruling that could hinder Trump's effort to bar POLITICO, CNN and MS NOW from White House access and affect ongoing disputes over media access to the administration.
A California man, Philan-Tam-Duy Le, was arraigned on a misdemeanor charge after police found a 10-foot wooden guillotine in the back of a Toyota Tacoma parked near the US Capitol. Le pleaded not guilty to attempted possession of a prohibited weapon; prosecutors sought to keep him jailed, but a DC Superior Court judge released him. The judge acknowledged the device’s seriousness yet noted Le did not threaten anyone, flee, or act violently. Investigators are probing Le’s motives and background, and his brother described him as a free spirit with the guillotine potentially serving as a symbol of disapproval.
Capitol Police arrested 35-year-old Philan-Tam-Duy Le from Julian, California after finding a guillotine in the bed of a pickup truck near the Capitol. He faces charges of carrying a dangerous weapon and possessing the guillotine, with investigators reviewing his background and motives for traveling to Washington during Congress’s recess.
Riley Jane English, a transgender woman, was sentenced to 63 months in prison after pleading guilty to attempting to kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during his confirmation at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 27, 2025, and to carrying a dangerous weapon. Prosecutors sought at least 10 years; U.S. District Judge Rudolf Contreras imposed the sentence, noting that no one was harmed and that mitigating factors applied. English traveled from Massachusetts with a knife and two Molotov cocktails, had considered other targets, and will receive credit for about 20 months already served plus three years of probation. The defense asked for placement in a female facility; English reportedly has serious mental health and substance-use issues, and a handwritten note indicated remorse.
An armed man was arrested at the North Barricade of the U.S. Capitol after police found a firearm; authorities briefly closed the area as investigators probe why he drove onto restricted grounds, with no charges announced and the suspect still unidentified.
Capitol Police arrested 67-year-old Wendell J. Royster of Mississippi after spotting a handgun on his lap at the North Barricade. Royster was charged with carrying a pistol without a license and without a permit; the weapon did not discharge and there were no injuries. The North Barricade was briefly closed and later reopened as investigators looked into the incident.
An active-duty U.S. Air Force Major, Jason Watson, was arrested on the Capitol steps after speaking at a news conference urging President Trump’s impeachment. Capitol Police said the demonstration was illegal on the House steps unless a member of Congress was present; Watson refused officers’ orders and was charged with crowding, obstructing, and incommoding. The incident underscores restrictions on service members’ political activity in uniform and highlights tensions around impeachment efforts.
An active-duty US Air Force major, Jason Watson, was arrested on the Capitol steps after delivering a speech at a Removal Coalition event calling for the impeachment and removal of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Police said he refused lawful orders, resulting in a 22-1307 charge for crowding/obstructing; a DC official later said a case would not be filed and he was being released. Wearing a military uniform at a political event is prohibited, and dissent within the armed forces is rare.
A Washington Post Visual Forensics analysis shows Elias Irizarry, a Pentagon counterterrorism appointee, moving through restricted Capitol grounds and climbing through a broken window with a metal pole during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot; he later pleaded guilty to trespassing and was pardoned by Donald Trump.
Former Vice President Mike Pence told CBS's Face the Nation that he hopes the Trump administration will drop its $1.776 billion 'anti-weaponization' fund, arguing it would compensate people who assaulted police or vandalized the Capitol; he noted GOP opposition is mounting and suggested the Justice Department should resolve related rights concerns without funding rioters.
Rioters loyal to Trump are lobbying for payments from his new "anti-weaponization" fund, a move that has drawn backlash as controversy over the Jan. 6 Capitol attack continues.
Two Washington, DC police officers filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to dissolve a $1.776 billion ‘anti-weaponisation’ fund created from a settlement with the DOJ, arguing it would finance January 6 rioters and endanger officers who defended the Capitol, despite ongoing threats; the fund’s creation and oversight are controversial, and more legal challenges to the settlement are expected.
Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough’s forthcoming decision on whether a $1 billion Secret Service funding provision for the White House ballroom can stay in a budget-reconciliation bill is driving GOP strategy, with members weighing reductions and more detail due to political optics and Byrd-rule constraints. House Republicans, led by Mike Johnson, say they’ll push changes to the Senate’s housing bill despite White House and Senate pushback, while cross‑chamber talks continue on immigration enforcement, homeland provisions, and a crypto bill ahead of a June 1 deadline, as Trump presses for faster movement.
Several January 6 attendees filed a federal class-action in Florida against the U.S. Capitol Police and DC Police, seeking about $18.405 million in damages for alleged physical injuries and emotional distress caused by police responses (tear gas and other irritants) on the Capitol grounds. Named plaintiffs Patrick Sullivan, Marie Sullivan and Alan Fischer seek to certify a class of all Capitol grounds attendees harmed that day and a jury trial to determine damages. Fischer, who was prosecuted in 2022, was pardoned by Trump. In total, 46 protesters are pursuing similar claims (43 others), with the case highlighting ongoing political divisions five years after the riot.
A Florida-based class-action suit filed by members of the Jan. 6 mob accuses Capitol Police and DC Metropolitan Police of using indiscriminate and dangerous crowd-control methods, seeking tens of millions in damages and aiming to represent others on the Capitol’s West Front. Lead plaintiffs include A.J. Fischer, a Proud Boy who was charged in the riot, and Patrick and Marie Sullivan; the case cites pepper balls, chemical spray, and other non-lethal munitions as injuring rioters and bystanders. The filing follows Trump-era pardons and prior government settlements with other allies, and may be expanded if certified as a class. Note: Fischer was charged, not convicted.