Louie Gohmert will have to pay $5k fine for bypassing metal detector in Congress, committee rules

Gohmert returned to chamber from restroom, arguing: ‘there are not even any tanks on toilets so someone could hide a gun in them like in The Godfather movie’

The House Ethics Committee will uphold the decision to impose a $5,000 fine on Texas Republican Representative Louie Gohmert for bypassing a metal detector as he entered the House chamber.

Mr Gohmert appealed the fine issued by the House sergeant-at-arms on 5 February. The security checkpoints were put in place by House Democrats following the Capitol riot on 6 January.

Fines were enacted to ensure compliance with the new security measures after they were disregarded by some Republicans.

The House Ethics committee has 10 members, five from each party, and “a majority of the committee did not agree to the appeal” from Mr Gohmert, according to a letter from the committee.

Mr Gohmert said in his appeal that he thought he had complied with the security measures by first going through the checkpoint as he entered the House chamber on 4 February. He then left to use the restroom and returned without going through the security screening, unaware that he had to do so again.

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He wrote: “During the weeks that the metal detectors have been in place, I have entered the House floor previously after being screened through the metal detector, then later gone to the Members’ restroom immediately beside the Speaker’s Lobby many times. I have never before been wanded on coming from the restroom to the House floor.”

He pointed out that there was no checkpoint between the House floor and the restroom's near the Speaker's lobby. Officials have since installed metal detectors in the lobby, The Hill reported.

Mr Gohmert added in his five-page letter to the committee appealing the fine: "There was no metal detector between the floor at the short distance to the restroom. It made good sense that there did not need to be. There are not even any tanks on toilets so someone could hide a gun in them like in The Godfather movie."

However, he also admitted that a Capitol police officer asked him to go through another screening.

He wrote: "As has happened on previous days, my turn to be recognised and engage in speech and debate on the House floor was nearing, so I headed for the restroom right before I was to speak. That is something I often do before speaking publicly. As I did, I mentioned to the officers on the day in question that I was going to the restroom right by the Speaker's Lobby, and they watched me go in and within probably less than three minutes, watched me return."

He added: "The officer said I needed to be wanded, but since I had already been through the metal detector thoroughly and having never before been required to be wanded after already having entered the floor properly, I returned to the House floor to engage in my turn to debate the bill under consideration."

Under the rules, a first violation will be fined at $5,000 and a second at $10,000. The fine will be deducted from members' pay. Campaign funds or money from their congressional office cannot be used to pay for a fine. The Ethics Committee has 30 days to rule on appeals made by members.

Most members of Congress earn $174,000 a year, with some members of the leadership earning more.

Democrats introduced the fines after numerous Republicans refused to follow the new security protocols.

Some staunch gun-rights members of the Republican House caucus have argued that the measures violate their rights, the Associated Press reported.