member of congress Be vulnerable. They are not Superman or Superman. They are flesh and blood like everyone else.
A series of unrelated events in recent days have exposed the vulnerability of Capitol Hill staff as a health scare affects three prominent congressional figures.
senate minority leader Mitch McConnellThe Kentucky Republican fell during the Senate's weekly lunch last week. D.C. Fire Rescue arrived at the Capitol to evaluate the Republican leader after he cut his face and sprained his wrist. He was later found wearing a brace on his arm that spanned his hand and thumb. He was initially "allowed to resume his schedule." However, McConnell did not appear at the Capitol later this week and his office said he was working from home.
Last year he suffered a concussion after a fall in a hotel and was sidelined for two months. McConnell also froze during several news conferences in Washington and Kentucky. In 2019, he fell at home and fractured his shoulder.
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The facade of the United States Capitol Building. (Valerie Plesch/Photo Alliance, Getty Images)
McConnell, 83, resigned as Senate Republican leader in early January but will remain in office indoors. McConnell is the longest-serving bipartisan leader in Senate history.
McConnell did not attend what would likely be the last Senate Republican leadership news conference of the year on Tuesday. He also did not participate in the Hanukkah menorah lighting ceremony at the Capitol with other congressional leaders from both parties and houses of Congress.
McConnell isn't the only prominent lawmaker to stumble recently.
former speaker of house of representatives Nancy PelosiThe California Democrat was hospitalized in Germany after a fall that left him needing a hip replacement. She joined other lawmakers at events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge.
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"I'm right next to her," said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican. "She likes to wear high heels. Very high. She lost her footing on the last step of this marble staircase with no railing and fell to the ground."
McCall later said he spoke with Pelosi on the phone.
"She had a lot of energy. She had a lot of courage," McCaul said of the former speaker.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks with Katie Couric on 92NY on October 24, 2024 in New York City. (John Rampalski/Getty Images)
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hospitalized with injuries while traveling to Luxembourg
Retired Navy Rear Adm. Barry Black is not a senator, but frankly, his commanding, rumbling bass is better known than many senators' voices. Black has worn his signature bow tie since 2003, when he served as Senate chaplain.
"Pastor Black was one of the most beloved men in the entire Senate. Every day when we met, he was always here to pray with his profound wisdom, grace and eloquence," said the Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer,D.N.Y.
The only thing that resonates more than Blake's powerful instrument is his words. Blake deftly weaves friendly pastoral counsel into his daily mediations. He prayed that senators "do not let fatigue or cynicism jeopardize friendships" ahead of the first impeachment trial in 2019. President-elect Trump.
Pelosi joined a bipartisan congressional delegation in Luxembourg on Friday "to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge," a spokesman said. (Palace of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg)
During the 2013 government shutdown, Black gently rebuked senators for shutting down the government — even as U.S. Capitol Police officers remained on duty and were injured in a wild car chase and shootout that led to a lockdown of the Capitol.
"Let us rise above the hypocrisy of trying to sound reasonable when in fact it is not," Blake prayed.
There aren't many things that make sense on Capitol Hill, and perhaps the most unreasonable thing heard over the past week came from U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger.
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Although the chief was only a messenger, Mange told a Senate committee that his department recorded 700 individual threats of violence against lawmakers in November alone. What’s even scarier is that Manger says there are a record 55 "slap" cry Attacks on legislators in their homes.
"Swatting" is when someone makes a false distress call. Police then dispatch a "swat" team to the address, often disrupting the intended target.
"In the past, if you knew when to go home, maybe you could relax for a while," Mager testified before the Senate Rules Committee. "Those days are gone."
On Thanksgiving Day, the entire Connecticut House and Senate delegations received threats.
Some lawmakers face more problems than others.
“Sadly, I may be the record holder for beating calls,” lamented Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
These false threats can sometimes lead to complete disaster for innocent bystanders.
In Rome, Georgia, bomb squad member David Metroka was rushing to join the rest of the team at Green's house when he crashed into a car driven by Tammie Pickelsimer. She later died in hospital.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene arrives at the Johnny... Speech at a campaign rally at the Johnny Mercer Theater. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
In fact, the threat to Green's residence didn't even unfold immediately. It was emailed to local police and placed in a spam folder. Days later, police discovered the message and dispatched the bomb squad.
How can lawmakers protect themselves in such a tense environment?
"I'm a gun owner," Green said. "It's very important to be able to protect yourself if needed."
Lawmakers have long faced threats. Some of the most tragic and chaotic moments in recent congressional history have involved violence. January 6th. The shooting at a congressional baseball practice nearly killed House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
There's something else that scares everyone who works on Capitol Hill, especially lawmakers who have been targeted before: the recent cold-blooded assassination in midtown Manhattan.
"I find it disturbing that some public figures either remain silent or come dangerously close to rationalizing (United Healthcare CEO) Brian Thompson was assassinated” said New York Rep. Richie Torres. "If we as a society accept the idea that political differences can be resolved through violence, then that's the end of our civilization."
"I think the worst part is when you see the reaction of people supporting the killer," added Rep. Michael Ruley, R-Ohio.
At some point, these threats may be too much for lawmakers.
"We are not here to put ourselves or our families at risk," said Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt.
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Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., has served in Congress since 1997.
“The level of contempt and hatred has gone up,” Smith said. “When I came here as a freshman, I never thought I would be in greater physical danger because I was a member of Congress, not a street person. Anyone walking on it.”
But that's the reality in Congress.
Everyone is vulnerable.