Rep. Chip Roy argued Wednesday that metal detectors placed at the doorways of the House in the wake of the violence at the Capitol are a "waste of resources," considering the heavy police presence now there, and said the devices send a signal that lawmakers are not able to protect themselves from an attack.
"That's a waste of resources and puts us on the floor of the House as sitting ducks, as we were last week," the Texas Republican said on Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "It is an unconstitutional interference with our ability to carry out our obligation to our constituents who sent us here and I will continue to object to it. That is not contrary to my support for Capitol Hill police doing their job. It's a policy that's the wrong one put in place by the Sergeant of Arms."
Roy and others who have criticized the installation have come under fire from Democrats, but he said Wednesday that lawmakers have a constitutional obligation to vote and to "send a strong signal to the United States we're here, doing our job and we won't be impeded."
He added that he "won't allow" the Democrats to turn the House "into a police state, to send signals of fear to the United States."
Meanwhile, Roy said that where the Democrats' push for impeachment is concerned, he wishes they had drafted articles that were "better written and taken the time under the Constitution to do it the right way."
"I actually believe that the conduct of the president was reprehensible and [he] should be condemned for it and I think it is impeachable conduct," said Roy. "The problem is my Democratic colleagues have drafted articles of impeachment that are flawed and create ongoing issues with respect to what the definition of inciting a riot is."
President Donald Trump also should not have pressured Vice President Mike Pence to ignore his constitutional duty in counting the Electoral College votes, said Roy.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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