Chris Lange, FISM News
Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger responded after a congressman’s shocking allegations that the Capitol Police spied on him in a Watergate-style invasion of his office.
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) alleges that U.S. Capitol Police illegally entered his office last November and took photos of items displayed on a whiteboard inside. The Congressman also describes a subsequent incident in which three intelligence officers allegedly “dressed like construction workers” and attempted to get Nehls’ staff members to discuss the whiteboard’s contents.
Nehls detailed his accusations against the Capitol Police in a series of tweets on Tuesday. In one of the initial tweets, he says that on Nov. 20, 2021 officers entered his office without his knowledge and proceeded to take photos of “confidential legislative products protected by the Speech and Debate clause.”
On November 20th, 2021, Capitol Police entered my office without my knowledge and photographed confidential legislative products protected by the Speech and Debate clause enshrined in the Constitution, Article 1 Section 6.
— Congressman Troy Nehls (@RepTroyNehls) February 8, 2022
Nehls went on to allege that two days later, “Three intelligence officers attempted to enter my office while the House was in recess,” adding, in a third post, “Upon discovering a member of my staff, special agents dressed like construction workers began to question him as to the contents of a photograph taken illegally two days earlier.”
“We need to get to the truth,” said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) during an interview with Newsmax in which he said the allegations are “a real concern” and exemplify “today’s left.”
“The good news is the [Office of] Inspector General [of the Capitol Police] is going to do an investigation. I think that is positive. We need to get the answers. We need to get to the truth,” Jordan continued, going on to accuse Democrats of posing “a threat to democracy” – echoing Democrat’s oft-repeated criticism of former President Donald Trump – in their aggressive push to end the filibuster and allow proxy voting.
“Now it looks like potentially they were actually spying on a member of Congress? So, this is important stuff. We’ll hopefully get to the bottom of it and get answers,” Jordan said.
Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger responded to Nehls’ allegations in a brief statement Tuesday, saying the officer in question was merely conducting a routine security check after finding the Congressman’s office “left open and unsecured.”
Manger also indirectly addressed Nehls’ accusation that officers dressed in work clothes pressed members of his staff for information about items in the office, writing, “USCP personnel personally followed up with the Congressman’s staff and determined no investigation or further action of any kind was needed.”
Nehls said the chief’s statement is a “mischaracterization” of the events, noting that Mangers failed to mention the photo that was allegedly taken inside his office.
Nehls also offered a theory as to why he is being surveilled:
Maybe it is because I have been a vocal critic of @SpeakerPelosi, the @January6thCmte, and @CapitolPolice leadership about their handling of January 6th, the death of Ashli Babbitt and the subsequent SHAM investigation.
— Congressman Troy Nehls (@RepTroyNehls) February 8, 2022
Nehl’s accusations echo concerns that were outlined in a letter that was sent to Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday demanding an investigation into an explosive Politico report that Capitol Police are “monitoring” American citizens and lawmakers.