Chief says officer was right to halt McKinney

U.S. Capitol Police Chief Terrance W. Gainer yesterday said his officer did the right thing when he stopped Rep. Cynthia A. McKinney after she walked past a secure checkpoint in a House office building last week.

“It’s much to do about nothing,” said Chief Gainer, whose last day on the job is today. “I want to make it really clear: If [officers] are not sure who’s walking in that door, I expect them to challenge that person. And the person who is challenged has no right to strike an officer.”

The chief announced his retirement last month after it was brought to his attention that he had violated a 1967 law against nepotism when he hired his son-in-law as a police officer more than two years ago. Chief Gainer’s son-in-law also resigned from the force.

The nepotism charges surfaced after repeated clashes with congressional Democrats in recent months over the size and direction of the Capitol Police.

Yesterday, Chief Gainer fiercely defended the actions of his officer during what he repeatedly referred to as the “brouhaha” with Mrs. McKinney, Georgia Democrat. The congresswoman, who says she was stopped because she is black, struck the officer in the chest with her cell phone.

“No one should hit a police officer simply because you take umbrage with an officer doing his job,” Chief Gainer said when asked whether Mrs. McKinney should be charged.

Capitol Police on Monday requested an arrest warrant for Mrs. McKinney over the incident. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said yesterday the matter was “still pending.”

No action is expected before the end of the week.

Meanwhile, House Republicans yesterday pressed for a resolution to commend the Capitol Police for their professionalism, and Democratic leaders did not support Mrs. McKinney or her charge of racial profiling in the incident.

“I don’t think any of it justifies hitting a police officer,” said House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California. “If it did happen, I don’t think it was justified.”

Rep. Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, said all lawmakers, staffers and visitors in the building have a responsibility to obey the Capitol Police. “I think we all should cooperate fully,” he said.

Rep. Melvin Watt, North Carolina Democrat and chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, had no comment, a spokesman said.

Chief Gainer yesterday dismissed Mrs. McKinney’s claims, saying that her repeated public statements that the incident was about race were “highly inappropriate.”

Capitol Police officers are responsible for screening 30,000 persons who pass through the doors of the Capitol complex each day, he said.

“We see a lot of people,” the chief said. “To only have a couple of imperfect interactions is a pretty good record.”

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