Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview on Tuesday that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is using the U.S. Capitol Police as her “private intelligence agency” to investigate lawmakers.
Nehls, a former law enforcement officer, spoke to Breitbart News after he said in a statement that the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) entered Nehls’ congressional office and took a photo of a whiteboard detailing legislative plans being considered by him and his staff.
A formal Capitol Police report stated that the officer entered his office and found “suspicious writing mentioning body armor,” which led to three USCP plain-clothed intelligence officers questioning a staffer about the whiteboard and the legislative proposals it contained.
Nehls’ office brainstormed about legislative solutions after a Washington Post story reported about how a federal government contractor defrauded the United States by supplying Chinese-made body armor instead of body armor made in the United States.
Now, the inspector general of the U.S. Capitol Police has opened a formal investigation into whether the USCP inappropriately surveilled a congressman’s office.
Nehls blamed Pelosi for politicizing the Capitol Police and for trying to investigate him because he has been so critical of how the USCP failed to secure Congress during the January 6 protests.
He told Breitbart News, “Nancy Pelosi is using the Capitol Police as her private investigative intelligence agency to investigate members of Congress who have been very, very critical of January 6. This isn’t just a mere coincidence. This was … I feel they are out to try to destroy me and my character.”
“If we can allow, if an office is open, and members of the Capitol police can just go in there and start conducting their own investigations to legislative priorities or what they feel is suspicious or threatening,” Nehls continued. “We’re in big, big trouble up here. And all 435 members of Congress should be damn well concerned about this.”
This controversy with Nehls follows as Politico reported in January that the Capitol Police is investigating the backgrounds and social media of those who meet with lawmakers and their congressional staff.
In the wake of this incident, several leading House Republicans said there remain many questions.
House Administration Committee Ranking Member Rodney Davis (R-IL) told the Federalist, “There are way too many unanswered questions. The Capitol Police have a lot of explaining to do.”
“My main concern is that the entire Capitol Police board structure is dependent on political leadership to make security decisions. Security decisions are being made based on politics, not on real data,” he added.
Davis also blamed Pelosi’s control of the process for improving the Capitol’s security.
House Republican Study Committee Jim Banks (R-IN) said, “The Capitol is no more prepared today than it was on January 6. There is a lot of work to do to restore trust in the leadership of the Capitol Police.”
Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.