3rd GOP Lawmaker Fined for Skipping Security Check

For the third time since new security screenings were established at the US Capitol following the Jan. 6 attack on the building, a Republican lawmaker has been fined for refusing to comply. Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky set off the metal detector on April 14 but kept walking, according to a Capitol Police report. When told he needed to submit to a hand-wanding, Rogers said he had to get to a vote, the Hill reports. He did return later, but was told screenings are required before actually entering the chamber, and that a $5,000 fine had been issued. The House Ethics Committee says Rogers is appealing the fine. In a statement to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Rogers calls the issue a "simple misunderstanding."

Reps. Louie Gohmert and Andrew Clyde also appealed after their own incidents, but their appeals were rejected and the fines upheld, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. Clyde, who was issued a $5,000 fine for the first offense and a $10,000 one after an additional offense, says he plans to take the issue to court. He calls the fines unconstitutional. Gohmert, meanwhile, said he did undergo screening, but left to use the restroom and didn't realize he needed to be screened again before returning to the chamber. (More US Capitol stories.)