Booker Staffer Arrested At Capitol Before Marathon Speech

Chaos on Capitol Hill…

One of Sen. Cory Booker’s (D-N.J.) staffers was arrested on Monday for possession of a pistol, shortly before the senator began a marathon speech.

“Yesterday afternoon a Member of Congress led an IDed staff member around security screening at the Hart Senate Office Building. Later that evening, outside the Senate Galleries, the IDed staff member — who is a retired law enforcement officer — told our officers he was armed,” Capitol Police said in a statement to The Hill. 

“The staff member, 59-year-old Kevin A. Batts of New Jersey, was arrested for Carrying a Pistol Without a License. All weapons are prohibited from Capitol Grounds, even if you are a retired law enforcement officer, or have a permit to carry in another state or the District of Columbia,” they added.

He was placed in the backseat of a USCP vehicle outside the Senate side of the Capitol, according to their reports.

Sen. Cory Booker launched into a blistering all-night speech against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk on the Senate floor throughout the night after beginning his marathon speech at 7 p.m. Monday.

The senator was still speaking on the floor after 8 a.m. Tuesday, more than 13 hours after he had begun.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) who said he planned to join Booker “for the entirety of his speech,” noted that he was “returning the favor” as Booker joined him when he “launched a filibuster to demand action on gun violence nine years ago.”

Murphy was among the Democrats who provided Booker with some relief by speaking at times to punctuate the marathon session.

Watch:

At around midnight, Booker said he would continue to speak “as long as [he is] physically able” using the chamber’s open floor time to command attention and spotlight Democratic concerns about the direction of the country.

“In just 71 days, the president of the United States has inflicted so much harm on Americans’ safety, financial stability, the core foundations of our democracy and even our aspirations as a people for — from our highest offices — a sense of common decency,” Booker said. “These are not normal times in America. And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate.”

He continued to blast Trump and Musk for “complete disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution and the needs of the American people.”

Among the key issues Booker hammered: proposed GOP cuts to Medicaid.

“It is maddening… to create greater and greater health care crisis,” he said, accusing Republicans of tearing down systems “with no plan to make it better.”

Trump has previously indicated that he will not “touch” Americans’ Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits, but wants to weed out fraud.

While technically not a filibuster — since it hasn’t been tied to any active legislation — Booker’s speech threatens to delay Senate business, which is set to begin at noon.

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