House Speaker Mike Johnson has warned fellow lawmakers ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Wednesday that anyone who tries to disrupt the speech will be subject to arrest.
In a letter, Johnson said that extra sergeants-at-arms and Capitol Police would be on hand to deal with any disruptions, noting he has adopted a “zero-tolerance” position from lawmakers and any guests they bring.
“If any disturbance does occur, the Sergeant at Arms and Capitol Police will remove the offending visitor(s) from the gallery and subject them to arrest,” Johnson wrote. If any lawmakers are involved in disruptions, they will be asked to cease and desist by the sergeant-at-arms.
Protesters are planning demonstrations outside the Capitol during Netanyahu’s visit, including a planned 5,000-person “march” demanding the arrest of the Israeli prime minister, the Daily Wire
Vice President Kamala Harris, who has officially become the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, will not be overseeing Netanyahu’s address. Instead, she will participate in a separate event for the historically-black Zeta Phi Beta sorority, as reported by the Times of Israel. The chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Ben Cardin, will conduct the joint session instead.
Johnson accused Harris of “abandoning her seat” and called her absence “inexcusable.”In 2015, when Netanyahu last addressed a joint session of Congress, almost 60 Democrats refused to attend. This time around, a larger number of Democrats are expected to boycott the speech.