Republican congressional campaign officials have asked the Federal Election Commission if it is permissible for lawmakers to use campaign funds to pay for bodyguards, CNN reported on Monday.
The request comes amid mounting threats and concerns about the safety of congressmen in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 siege on Capitol Hill that left five dead.
Lawyers representing the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee sent a letter recently posted to the FEC website asking to provide guidance on whether lawmakers can use donations "to pay for personal security personnel to protect the Member and the Member's immediate family from threatened harm."
Since the FEC can normally take up to two months to give an advisory opinion in response to a reqeust, the letter also asked the panel for "expedited consideration ... in light of recent developments that have elevated the threat environment facing Members."
This comes in addition to a request last week from a group of more than 30 lawmakers for increased flexibility in using their taxpayer-funded congressional allowances to pay for security in their home states.
The commission has already ruled that campaign contributions are allowed to be used in connection to home-security systems of congressmen and are not a violation of the federal ban on using political donations for personal expenses.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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