Capitol Officer Killed Weeks After Mitch McConnell Insisted Extra Capitol Security Was Unnecessary

On Friday afternoon, Capitol police officer William Evans was killed after being rammed by a vehicle at the northern entrance to the complex. Another officer was injured, and the suspect was also shot and killed. At a news conference with reporters, Yogananda Pittman, acting chief of the Capitol police, said the attacker “exited the vehicle with a knife in hand” and began “lunging” at the officers. “It is with a very, very heavy heart that I announce one of our officers has succumbed to his injuries,” Pittman said. “I just ask that the public keep the U.S. Capitol police and their families in your prayers.” The attack comes nearly three months after the violent insurrection that left five people dead, and weeks after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell insisted there was no reason for enhanced security around the Capitol building.

Speaking to reporters last month, McConnell claimed that extra security was totally unnecessary. “I think we’ve overdone it,” he said, declaring that “there are no serious threats against the Capitol.” He added: “We‘re way overreacting to the current need. I’m extremely uncomfortable with the fact that my constituents can’t come to the Capitol. With all this razor wire around the complex, it reminds me of my last visit to Kabul. This is the capital of the United States of America. Do we need some changes? We probably do. But I think we are continuing to overreact based on current threat levels to what is needed here at the Capitol. It looks terrible to have the beacon of our democracy surrounded by razor wire and National Guard troops.”

McConnell wasn’t the only one who complained that extra security was not needed. Last month Rep. Lauren Boebert posted a video in which she walked alongside the fencing surrounding the Capitol and demanded that Nancy Pelosi “tear down this wall.” The clip ended with a gunshot and Boebert’s signature, just in case it wasn’t clear that the Colorado congresswoman is an unhinged gun nut.

With Congress currently in recess, most lawmakers were not on Capitol Hill on Friday, though, according to The New York Times, many aides were in the building working or receiving coronavirus vaccines. The Capitol went into lockdown at approximately 1 p.m., with police telling staff to stay inside, away from windows and doors, and to “seek cover” if they were outside. The attack came more than a week after a razor-wire-topped fence that had been placed around the complex was removed, and streets surrounding the Capitol were reopened to vehicle traffic.

In a statement, McConnell said he was “praying for the United States Capitol Police officers who were attacked at the Capitol” and was “grateful to all the USCP and first responders who are on the scene.” Which rings just a bit hollow in light of his insistence that there were “no serious threats against the Capitol,” not to mention his decision to let Donald Trump get away with inciting January’s attack on the Capitol, which left another Capitol police officer dead and around 140 D.C. and Capitol police officers injured.

Matt Gaetz’s spokesman has heard enough

The longtime staffer abruptly resigned, for reasons you can probably understand. Per The New York Times: