A Capitol police officer has been suspended and is under investigation after a congressional aid spotted a copy of the “Protocols of the Meetings of the Learned Elders of Zion” — an anti-Semitic book — on the table near a security checkpoint.
“We take all allegations of inappropriate behavior seriously. Once this matter was brought to my attention, I immediately ordered the officer to be suspended until the Office of Professional Responsibility can thoroughly investigate,” Chief Yogananda Pittman said.
Last month, Pittman told a congressional subcommittee that several Capitol Police officers were suspended and that 35 were under investigation after the Jan 6. riot at the Capitol building. The reason for the suspensions is unclear.
“It seems like it’s nothing too dramatic, but it may be a lot of a few of those officers really stepped over the line when it comes to social media, and we’ll get more clarity, as it as it comes,” Tim Ryan, House Appropriations Legislative Subcommittee Chair, said.
Zach Fisch, the chief of staff for Rep. Mondaire Jones, spotted the material at the checkpoint and took photographs.
“Our office is full of people — Black, Brown, Jewish, Queer — who have good reason to fear white supremacists,” Fisch tweeted. “If the [Capitol Police] is all that stands between us and the mob we saw on Jan. 6, how can we feel safe?”
The identity of the officer is unknown.