Speaker Johnson Threatens To Arrest Any Member of Congress Who Interrupts Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Speech Wednesday

Speaker Johnson, ahead of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Wednesday, is warning members that the Capitol police are taking additional security measures to protect not only attendees, but the integrity of the speech itself. Mr. Johnson is issuing a warning to his colleagues that if any such disturbances come from the floor, as sometimes happens during these joint sessions, they may be arrested for violating House rules. In a letter to House members on Tuesday, the speaker says he will “enforce a zero-tolerance policy” for interruptions of Mr. Netanyahu’s address. The speech, which has been roundly criticized by those on the left, is expected to draw massive protests outside of the Capitol building, if not inside. “In the interests of all involved, we will enforce a zero-tolerance policy for disturbances in the building,” Mr. Johnson writes. “All Members should kindly inform their guests that any disruption of the proceedings of the House is a violation of the rules and may subject the offenders to prosecution. If any disturbance does occur, the Sergeant at Arms and Capitol Police will remove the offending visitors) from the gallery and subject them to arrest.” Those who attend events in the House chambers as guests have always been threatened with the possibility of arrest for disturbing proceedings. But Mr. Johnson went a step further this time, saying members themselves could be taken off the floor and prosecuted if they disturb the premier’s address. “If any Member creates a disturbance, the Sergeant at Arms will request that such action be ceased immediately, and we trust that request will be heeded,” the speaker writes, saying that it is “incumbent upon us all to likewise model respect and proper decorum as representatives of the American people and our institution, and as ambassadors of the United States on the world stage.”The drama around Mr. Netanyahu’s address to Congress, which was instigated after Senator Schumer and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries signed a letter inviting the premier to speak, has ruffled the feathers of many in Congress. Senator Sanders has said repeatedly that he would not sit and listen to a “right-wing, extremist” leader. Congressman Mark Pocan, a liberal member from Wisconsin, went so far as to joke about inviting prosecutors from the International Criminal Court to attend the event so they could arrest Mr. Netanyahu on the spot. “If Netanyahu comes to address Congress, I would be more than glad to show the ICC the way to the House floor to issue that warrant,” Mr. Pocan wrote in May. Many Democrats in Congress plan to skip the event altogether, out of personal disinterest or for political advantage. Vice President Harris, now the presumptive Democratic nominee, will not sit behind the premier along with Mr. Johnson during the address. Since the beginning of her vice presidency, Ms. Harris has presided over six addresses by foreign leaders to joint sessions of Congress, including by the prime ministers of Japan, India, and Greece, and the presidents of South Korea, Ukraine, and Israel. This will be the first time Ms. Harris does not appear in the House chamber for a foreign leader’s speech. She will instead meet with Mr. Netanyahu privately. “Throughout her career, the VP has had an unwavering commitment to the security of Israel. That remains true today,” an aide for Ms. Harris told Jewish Insider. When the vice president declines to preside for a joint session — as President Biden did in 2015 when Mr. Netanyahu came to denounce the Iran nuclear deal — the responsibility falls to the president pro tempore of the Senate. That position is held by the longest-serving member of the majority party in the Senate. The current president pro tempore is Senator Murray, who has represented Washington State in the upper chamber since 1993.Ms. Murray is boycotting the speech, however, and thus will not be presiding. “Securing a lasting, mutual ceasefire is of the utmost importance right now, and I will continue to push for one to be reached as soon as possible. I hope Prime Minister Netanyahu will use the opportunity to address how he plans to secure a ceasefire — and lasting peace in the region,” she told NBC News. In a rather unprecedented move, the role of presiding over the address will fall to the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Cardin, who is retiring at the end of the year. Mr. Cardin, who is Jewish, has had a relatively pro-Israel record as a member of the Senate, and even faced protests earlier this year when he spoke at a University of Maryland commencement ceremony. Students wrote in a letter at the time that his “pro-war foreign policy” made him unfit to speak. Large demonstrations outside of the Capitol building are being planned for Wednesday, and will be attended by congressional staff members and possibly even lawmakers themselves. Capitol police have already begun erecting barriers to keep protesters away from the building, and they have announced that there will be an increased police presence on the Capitol grounds on Wednesday.

Speaker Johnson Threatens To Arrest Any Member of Congress Who Interrupts Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Speech Wednesday

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