‘Enemy within’ Congress threatening members -Pelosi

‘Enemy within’ Congress threatening members -Pelosi

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday lawmakers would probably need more funding for security as the "the enemy is within" the House, following a warning by the Homeland Security Department of heightened threats..

Lisa Bernhard produced this report.

Chilling words from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday, who in the wake of the deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol, said lawmakers would likely need more funding for security to protect them not just from outside threats, but also potentially from their own colleagues in the House of Representatives - whom she described as "the enemy within." U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI: "I do believe, and I have said this all along, that we will probably need a supplemental for more security for members when the enemy is within the House of Representatives." REPORTER: "What exactly did you mean when you said, 'The enemy was within'?" U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI: "It means that we have members of Congress who want to bring guns on the floor and have threatened violence on other members Congress." Pelosi did not name names, but earlier in her press conference was asked about newly-elected Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia, who has come under scrutiny this week for online comments she posted before taking office supporting violence against Democrats, including Pelosi.

Greene is the first member of Congress to have openly expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory, and in a video from 2019 that resurfaced and went viral this week, is seen harassing a student who survived the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida the year before.

Greene now sits on the House Education and Labor Committee.

REPORTER: "What would you like to see done about her?" U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI: "What I'm concerned about is the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives, who was willing to overlook, ignore, those statements - assigning her to the Education Committee when she has mocked the killing of little children at Sandy Hook elementary school, when she has mocked the killing of teenagers in high school at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

What could they be thinking?

Or is 'thinking' too generous a word for what they might be doing." Greene, in a Twitter post, said some of her social media posts did not represent her views.

A gun-rights activist and ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump's, Greene is among those who have bristled at increased security measures, such as the installation of a metal detector at the House entrance.

Last week, Republican lawmaker Andy Harris was found carrying a concealed gun while trying to enter the House floor.

The Department of Homeland Security this week issued a bulletin warning of heightened threats, saying that some (quote) "domestic violent extremists" may feel emboldened by the Capitol rampage.