Members of Congress are vulnerable. They are not super men or women. They are made of bones and flesh like everyone else.
A series of unrelated events in recent days illustrated the vulnerability of those working in the Capitol, as health concerns affected three prominent Congressional figures.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) fell during the Senate’s weekly luncheon last week. D.C. Fire Rescue went to the Capitol to examine the Republican leader after he suffered a cut to the face and a sprained wrist. He was later found wearing a brace on his arm that spanned his hand and thumb. He was initially “cleared to resume his schedule.” But McConnell did not appear at the Capitol late in the week, and his office announced he was working from home.
He suffered a concussion in a fall at a hotel last year and was sidelined for two months. Mr. McConnell froze at several news conferences, both in Washington and Kentucky. He fell at home in 2019 and broke his shoulder.
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US Capitol facade. (Valerie Preche/Photo in association with Getty Images)
McConnell, 83, will leave his position as the top Republican in the Senate in early January, but will remain on the floor. McConnell is the longest-serving leader of either party in Senate history.
McConnell did not attend the Senate Republican leadership’s news conference Tuesday, likely the last of the year. He also did not attend a ceremony with other bipartisan and bicameral leaders of Congress to light the menorah at the Capitol for Hanukkah.
McConnell is not the only prominent lawmaker to stumble recently.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was hospitalized in Germany after a fall required hip replacement surgery. She was attending the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge with other members of Congress.
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“I was right next to her,” said House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas). “She likes to wear high heels. They’re really high. She took the last step on a marble staircase without a handrail and tripped and fell to the ground.”
McCaul said he later spoke to Pelosi by phone.
“She had a lot of energy. She had a lot of energy,” McCall said of the former House speaker.
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speaks during a conversation with Nancy Pelosi and Katie Couric at 92NY on October 24, 2024 in New York City. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
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Retired Rear Admiral Barry Black is not a senator, but frankly, his authoritative, thunderous bass voice is better known than the voices of many senators. Mr. Black, who always wears his signature bow tie, has served as Senate chaplain since 2003. Last week, he suffered a subdural hematoma and cerebral hemorrhage and was hospitalized.
“Pastor Black is one of the most beloved men in the entire Senate. Every day we give into session, he is always here to begin our prayer with profound wisdom, grace, and eloquence,” the Senate majority said. The faction said. Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y.
The only thing that resonates louder than Black’s powerful vocal instruments are his words. Black skillfully weaves friendly and pastoral advice into his daily intercessions. In 2019, ahead of President-elect Trump’s first impeachment trial, he prayed that senators would “not allow fatigue and cynicism to jeopardize our friendship.”
Pelosi was in Luxembourg on Friday with a bipartisan Congressional delegation “to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge,” a spokeswoman said. (Grand Duke’s Court of Luxembourg)
Black was the first senator to shut down the government during the 2013 government shutdown, even though Capitol Police remained on duty and injured people in a violent car chase and gunfight that sealed off the Capitol. gently reprimanded him.
“Deliver us from the hypocrisy of trying to sound rational while being irrational,” Black prayed.
There’s not much that’s rational on Capitol Hill. Perhaps the most unreasonable opinion I’ve heard over the past week comes from U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Munger.
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Although the director was merely a communicator, Munger informed the Senate committee that the department recorded a staggering 700 separate threats of violence against members of Congress in November alone. Even more frightening, Munger said 55 “bashing” calls against members of Congress were made at his home, an all-time high.
“Swatting” is when someone makes a fake distress call over the phone. Police then dispatch a “SWAT” team to the address, typically attacking the intended target.
“It used to be that if you knew when you got home, you might be able to relax a little bit,” Manager testified before the Senate Rules Committee. “Those days are over.”
Threats were called out to the entire Connecticut House and Senate delegation on Thanksgiving Day.
Some legislators face more problems than others.
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia lamented, “Sadly, I’m probably the keeper of the wiretapped phone calls.”
And these false threats can result in terrible misfortune for innocent bystanders.
David Metroka, a bomb squad member from Rome, Georgia, was rushing to join the rest of his team at Greene’s home when he collided with Tammy Pickelsimer’s car. She later died at the hospital.
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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks prior to the arrival of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the Johnny Mercer Theater on September 24, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. ) (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
In fact, the threat to Greene’s mansion was not unfolding in real time. It was emailed to local police and placed in their spam folder. Police discovered the message a few days later and sent in a bomb squad.
How do legislators protect themselves in such an environment of excess?
“I’m a gun owner,” Green said. “It’s very important that you can protect yourself if necessary.”
Lawmakers have long been under threat. Some of the most tragic and chaotic moments in recent Congressional history have involved violence. January 6: Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and Ron Barber, D-Ariz., are shot to death. Republican Louisiana House Majority Leader Steve Scalise was nearly killed in a shooting at a congressional baseball practice.
And there’s another thing that happened that surprised everyone who works at the Capitol, especially the members of Congress who were previously targeted. A recent cold-blooded assassination in midtown Manhattan.
“I am concerned that some public figures remain silent or come dangerously close to justifying the assassination of (UnitedHealthcare CEO) Brian Thompson,” said Rep. Richie Torres (DN.Y.). ” he said. “If we, as a society, accept the idea that political differences can be resolved through violence, that is the end of our civilization.”
“I think the worst part was seeing the reaction of people supporting the murderer,” added Rep. Michael Lurie (R-Ohio).
At some point, the threat may become too much for lawmakers.
“We are not here to put ourselves or our families at risk,” said Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vermont.
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Representative Adam Smith (D-Washington State) has served in Congress since 1997.
“The level of contempt, the level of hatred has gone up,” Smith said. “When I arrived as a freshman, I would never have thought for a second that I was in greater physical danger because I was a congressman more than anyone else walking the streets.”
But that’s the reality of Congress.
And everyone is vulnerable.
Chad Pergrum currently serves as the Senior Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based in Washington, DC.
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