WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The current U.S. political climate calls for more resources to provide additional layers of physical security for members of Congress, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said on Tuesday.
Authorities are monitoring thousands of cases across the country to stop potential threats, Manger said in a statement just hours before the man accused of beating U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer was expected to make his first court appearance.
Paul Pelosi, 82, suffered severe injuries on Friday in his San Francisco home. Speaker Pelosi was in Washington at the time.
David Wayne DePape, 42, faced California state charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, elder abuse and threatening a public official. Separate federal charges of assault and attempted kidnapping also were pending.
“We believe today’s political climate calls for more resources to provide additional layers of physical security for members of Congress,” Manger said. “This plan would include an emphasis on adding redundancies to the measures that are already in place for congressional leadership,” he said without providing details.
The attack came shortly before the Nov. 8 congressional elections and follows months of bitter campaigning as Republicans try to win control of the House of Representatives and Senate.
(This story has been refiled to correct typo in headline.)
(Reporting by Paul Grant and Richard Cowan; editing by Tim Ahmann and Nick Macfie)
