Several lawmakers are under fire after Democrats storm Speaker’s office. Footage emerged showing members of Congress berating a Capitol Police officer and tampering with official signage outside House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office.
The incident occurred Tuesday night as Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), Nanette Barragán (D-CA), and Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) marched toward Johnson’s office chanting “swear her in.” They were joined by staffers demanding that Johnson immediately seat Grijalva, who won her special election on September 23 but has yet to be sworn in.
Video circulating online shows Jayapal and Stansbury messing with the sign outside the Speaker’s office and arguing with a Capitol Police officer who blocked their entry. The lawmakers’ protest was reportedly tied to a discharge petition seeking to force a vote on releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files — a measure currently one vote short of passing.
Johnson condemned the outburst, calling it a “political stunt.” “They stormed my office,” he said Wednesday. “Maybe you saw some of the video online that they themselves shared or someone did. They berated a Capitol Police officer, screamed at him. He was just merely standing at his post.”
The spectacle highlights growing tensions on Capitol Hill, where Democrats’ confrontational tactics are drawing criticism for crossing lines of decorum and respect for law enforcement.
