U.S Rep Andrew Clyde Files Federal Suit Against Democrat-led HR73

U.S. Congressman Andrew Clyde of the 9th District has filed a federal lawsuit against House Resolution 73 calling it unconstitutional on several levels.

Clyde said HR73 violates Article 1, Section 5, Article 1, Section 6 of the Constitution, and the 27th Amendment.

The Resolution, passed in February, authorizes the Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives to impose a fine of up to $10,000 against a Member, Delegate, or the Resident Commissioner for failure to complete security screening for entrance to the House chamber.

“House Resolution 73 (H.Res. 73) detains members from engaging in their duties to those they represent, in clear violation of Article I of the Constitution, and seeks to fine Republicans, in violation of the 27th Amendment, to gain undue influence over their behavior and to further Speaker Pelosi’s false political narrative,” Clyde said.

“Let me be very clear, the intent of Speaker Pelosi is to gain improper influence over the actions of the opposition party and to further her false political narrative that, “the enemy is within the House of Representatives.” H.Res. 73 is an absurdity built upon a foundation of Democrat lies that Republican members and their voters are dangerous domestic terrorists,” Clyde stated. “In fact, Acting Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, Yogananda Pittman, reported to House members in a Republican Conference security briefing on February 24, 2021, that there existed no known intelligence from any source that any member of Congress was a threat to any other member, thereby revealing that the use of magnetometers as a condition to accessing the House floor is political grandstanding by Speaker Pelosi in violation of the Constitution. H.Res. 73 is being used selectively and punitively by Democrats to harass duly elected members of the opposition party.”

Clyde said Monday, the fines are part of a Democratic vendetta on the part of Nancy Pelosi targeted at Republicans.

“House Resolution 73 is being used by the Democrats to selectively and punitively harass duly elected members of the House Republican Party,” Clyde said Monday. “Even in the face of this egregious treatment of fellow members of the Republican Party, I respectfully worked with the House Ethics Committee to appeal these fines and resolve this issue cordially and professionally, as did my fellow Republican colleagues who were also harassed. Unfortunately, the Committee’s Democrat wing has chosen a partisan and prejudiced path in its review process.’

Clyde and Representative Louie Gohmert were both fined $5,000 in February for bypassing the security checkpoint when entering the House of Representatives.

At the time, Clyde told Fox News he intended to fight it and take “them” to court, claiming the metal detectors were designed to detain Republican Congressmen, not provide security.

In May, three other Republican U.S. Representatives, Brian Mast (Fla.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Iowa), a physician, and Beth Van Duyne (Tex.) were each fined $500 for breaking a rule requiring masks in the House chamber, while several others have been issued a first-offense warning, according to a report in the Washington Post.

Clyde said the fines are unconstitutional and violate a person’s right to due process.

Clyde asserted that the Democratic-led Ethics Committee routinely breaks tie votes by siding with the Pelosi’s HR73 rule, which he said is a clear assault on the Republican members of Congress and the Constitution.

“While I applaud Ethics Committee Republicans for opposing this unconstitutional rule in every appeal they have considered to date, it has been interesting to watch the Sergeant at Arms fail to issue a fine to the Speaker after incontrovertible video evidence showed she violated her own rules. It has been even more interesting to witness Ethics Committee Democrats pardon their own Whip, Jim Clyburn, for his violation, in a biased, rubber-stamped flip-flop,” Clyde said.

The Congressman noted that when a Democrat Congressman or woman is brought before the Ethics Committee their appeals are heard and the violations thrown out.

“The flagrantly unequal treatment and targeting of Republican members is hypocritical and sets a dangerous precedent,” he said. “I came here to serve the People of the Ninth District of Georgia and I will not be deterred by the Speaker’s political posturing and abuse of power. I am proud to have filed suit today with my friend Rep. Gohmert. We will seek our justice in the Court as there is none to be had in the People’s House under the corrupt rule of Speaker Pelosi.”

View the full press conference here.