Gohmert fined for flouting security
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert faces a $5,000 fine for flouting security rules put in place in the U.S. House of Representatives after the Jan. 6 insurrection.
The House Ethics Committee on Tuesday denied the Tyler Republican’s appeal, in which he claims he had already been through the metal detectors that day and was returning from the restroom, where “there are not even any tanks on toilets so someone could hide a gun in them like the Godfather movie.”
The fine stems from a Feb. 4 incident in which the House’s acting sergeant-at-arms said Gohmert
failed to “complete security screening” under new House rules that require members to go through metal detectors or be scanned by security wands.
Gohmert’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the fine. He wrote in a Feb. 26 appeal that he was taking a quick restroom break before speaking on the House floor. He said he told an officer he was going to a nearby restroom and “they watched me go in and within probably less than three minutes, watched me return.”
“The officer said I needed to be wanded but since I had already been through the metal detector thoroughly and having never before been required to be wanded after already having entered the floor properly, I returned to the House Floor,” he wrote.
Gohmert, a former state appeals court judge, ranks among the poorest members of the House. The House resolution that imposed the new security rules says members “may not use campaign funds or official funds, including amounts in the Members’ Representational Allowance, to pay a fine imposed under this resolution.”
Gohmert also has a reputation as a provocateur, inspiring at least two House rules in recent years, including a new rule requiring all lawmakers and staffs to wear masks that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued last year after Gohmert tested positive for coronavirus. He had rarely worn a mask before then.
In 2019, Democratic leadership limited socalled “special-order speeches” to one a week. Gohmert had built a reputation for opining on the House floor in hour-long speeches, logging hundreds of CSPAN video clips on topics ranging from “terror babies” to barbecued ribs. In 2014, Gohmert claimed nearly 29 hours of CSPAN airtime.