On Monday, capitol police arrested a Congressional staffer for Rep. Joe Morelle’s (D-NY) office.
The staffer was identified in a statement as 38-year old Michael Hopkins and he was arrested for allegedly carrying ammunition, including a high-capacity magazine, into the Cannon House Office Building.
Chad Pergram, senior congressional correspondent for Fox News. posted a statement from Capitol police to X, formally Twitter:
At approximately 8:45 a.m., a House staffer entered the Cannon House Office Building and put his bag through screening. USCP officers noticed what appeared to be ammunition on the x-ray screen. After a hand search of the bag, officers found four ammunition magazines and eleven rounds of ammunition. The staffer told the officers that he forgot the ammunition was in the bag. 38-year-old Michael Hopkins was arrested, and he is facing charges for unlawful possession of ammunition, including one charge for possession of a high-capacity magazine.
Fox5 Washington reported that Hopkins “has been a guest…several times over the years,” as a Democratic strategist on their show The Hill, and posted video of the staffer on-air.
Morelle’s office also released a statement, saying they’re fully cooperating with the investigation:
This morning, our office was informed that a member of our staff was arrested by Capitol Police. We are currently gathering more information regarding the circumstances of the arrest. Our office is fully committed to cooperating with the investigation. As Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration, Congressman Morelle is devoted to ensuring a safe and secure workplace for all.
What a crock of crap! Ammunition, without a weapon to shoot it out of, never hurt anyone. I relate this to the pointing of a finger & saying “bang”. Ridiculous!
He might have had something more lethal than a finger already in the building or on the way. However, the negative connotation concerning firearms is constant and unrelenting.
Maybe he thought the Cannon needed the ammunition.
Cant they arrest more staffers with ammo??
Well, it IS the Cannon building…
While unfortunate for the Democratic staffer who likely did inadvertently have ammunition and a magazine (empty according to reports) in his bag. This comes at an opportune time for supporters of gun rights. President Trump has indicated his support for firearms reciprocity which would have made the transportation of these items into the District of Columbia (under whose laws the unfortunate staffer was charged). Democrats can be expected to fight against reciprocity, uncaring that the myriad of conflicting firearms laws constantly trip up unsuspecting citizens. Now that this hits close to home, tripping up one of their own, Democrats may just oppose reciprocity less vigorously.