No one seems to know whether embattled Capitol Police Chief Kim Dine will still be on the job come Monday, or how long thereafter he might continue in that role.
Shortly after noon on Friday, Roll Call, WTOP, and Fox News reported that Dine had submitted a resignation letter, but that the Capitol Board—the three member panel he reports to—had not yet accepted his resignation.
But late Friday, Fox News changed its story, reporting that “Capitol Police Chief Kim Dine intends to stay on the job despite submitting a letter of resignation several weeks ago, sources familiar with the situation told Fox News.”
According to Fox News:
Dine sent a message to all rank-and-file officers Friday afternoon committing himself to the department.
“As your Chief, I am immensely appreciative of the work that you do on a daily basis,” Dine said in the message. “I have the highest level of confidence in all of our sworn and civilian personnel, and as your Chief, personally reaffirm my continued commitment to this Department.”
Late Friday evening, Roll Call updated its story, adding a more complete description of Dine’s email. Though Fox News interpreted this email as evidence Chief Dine has chosen to stay, rather than resign, Roll Call does not appear to reach the same conclusion:
However, Dine sent a message to Capitol Police employees late in the afternoon on April 10 that referred to news of his resignation letter, but did not directly refer to the letter:
“You may have become aware of reporting today that discusses my status as Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police. I would like to assure you that as your Chief, you have my full support as we continue to work together as a team that is focused on ensuring our success as we fulfill our critical mission. Our complex and inherently dangerous job is coupled with challenges that I have personally witnessed many of you expertly manage on a daily basis. Our continued ability to function as a Department is coupled with our abilities as a team. As your Chief, I am immensely appreciative of the work that you do on a daily basis. I have the highest level of confidence in all of our sworn and civilian personnel, and as your Chief, personally reaffirm my continued commitment to this Department.”
Roll Call also obtained a vague comment from Senate Sergeant at Arms Frank J. Larkin, speaking on behalf of the full Capitol Board, which consists of the Senate Sergeant at Arms, the House Sergeant at Arms, and the Architect of the Capitol, that suggests that governing body has not accepted Dine’s letter of resignation. Larkin’s comment, however, does not appear to categorically rule out the possibility that the Capitol Board might, at some point, accept Dine’s letter of resignation:
On Friday evening, the chairman of the Capitol Police Board signaled the board would continue to work with Dine, but did not indicate whether the board has or will accept his letter of resignation.
“The United States Capitol Police Board continues to work with Chief Dine to ensure the success of the United States Capitol Police,” Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Frank J. Larkin said in a statement to CQ Roll Call.
The Capitol Police Public Information Office did little to untangle the confusion Friday afternoon.
When the Roll Call story first broke early Friday afternoon, Breitbart News asked Capitol Police spokesperson Kimberly Schneider to either confirm or deny the resignation report. Then, late Friday afternoon when the Fox News report broke that Chief Dine was staying, Breitbart News once again asked for comment from Schneider. We have not yet received a response.
As Breitbart News reported earlier this week, Dine’s tenure as Capitol Police Chief, which began in 2012, has been controversial.
The most recent controversy in which Dine is involved is the Capitol Police’s refusal to release the event report of Senator Reid’s New Year’s Day injuries. Reid’s Capitol Police security detail transported him from his Henderson, Nevada home to St. Rose Dominican Hospital on New Year’s Day. The force refuses to release any further details.
Other troublesome events during Dine’s tenure include his failure to prosecute a driver who crashed through barricades on Capitol Hill during the 2015 State of the Union address, the infamous “stand down” order given to a Capitol Police SWAT team prepared to deploy against the Washington Navy Yard shooter, the killing by the Capitol Police of a distraught mom driving erratically around the Capitol, and the failure of the Capitol Police to protect former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former Secretary of State George Shultz during their recent testimony on Capitol Hill.
The uncertainty surrounding Capitol Police Chief Dine’s current status is further clouded by the announcement this week that former Senate Sergeant at Arms Drew Willison has been named as Senator Reid’s new Chief of Staff. Under ordinary circumstances that announcement might not cause a ripple, but the increasing number of questions being asked about the cause of Senator Reid’s New Year’s Days injuries places the relationship between Willison and Dine at the time the injuries were sustained in question.
Willison has refused to disclose any communications that took place between him and Chief Dine between December 30, 2014 and January 6, 2015, the last day he served as Senate Sergeant at Arms. Reid’s New Year’s Day injuries were sustained during this period.