(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Democrats are at it again with another scandal in Congress, this time involving a staff member busted with ammunition on Monday.
Michael Hopkins, the 38-year-old communications director for Rep. Joe Morelle, was arrested after U.S. Capitol Police found multiple rounds of ammunition in his bags. Morelle, a Democrat, represents New York’s 25th Congressional District.
“USCP officers noticed what appeared to be ammunition on the x-ray screen,” USCP said in a press statement. “After a hand search of the bag, officers found four ammunition magazines and eleven rounds of ammunition.”
After being caught, Hopkins claimed he had forgotten the ammunition was in his bag. It isn’t immediately clear why he had the ammunition in the first place. He now faces charges of unlawful possession of ammunition, including one count of possessing a high-capacity magazine.
BREAKING: The US Capitol Police just arrested Michael Hopkins, a staff member for Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY), after he was found with multiple ammo magazines and eleven other rounds while trying to enter the Cannon House Office Building. pic.twitter.com/ne0ggfSu4z
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) December 2, 2024
“This morning, our office was informed that a member of our staff was arrested by Capitol Police,” Morelle’s chief of staff, Joe Stiles, claimed in a statement. Stiles said the man was no longer working with Morelle “effective immediately.”
Hopkins was hired this fall and via LinkedIn claimed to be a founding partner at Northern Starr Strategies.
Don’t let venture capitalist republicans like JD Vance tell you that progressivism is bad. Progressives fought for a women’s right to vote and for the civil rights act. @Tim_Walz won’t stop fighting until every American receives a living wage and universal healthcare. pic.twitter.com/kkcY7oVW6W
— MichaelStarr Hopkins (@Theonlyhonest) August 7, 2024
This marks the second time a congressional staffer has been caught with a weapon, according to Roll Call.
In 2021, an aide in the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer entered the Capitol with a loaded handgun, triggering a building-wide lockdown. He was apprehended 12 minutes later.
Similarly, the latest incident comes nearly a year after a male staffer for Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., engaged in anal intercourse in a Senate hearing room, as first reported by the Daily Caller.
The staffer, Aidan Maese-Czeropski, reportedly shared the clip on social media, where it quickly spread through D.C. group chats. The disturbing clip went viral, garnering millions of views on X.
EXCLUSIVE: Senate Staffer Caught Filming Gay Sex Tape In Senate Hearing Room (GRAPHIC)https://t.co/KRNovtmeyE pic.twitter.com/LuNzDOP9VN
— Max 📟 (@MaxNordau) December 16, 2023
USCP and local prosecutors refused to prosecute the staffer, claiming they found no evidence of a crime, despite the act being recorded on video.
“After consulting with federal and local prosecutors, as well as doing a comprehensive investigation and review of possible charges, it was determined that — despite a likely violation of Congressional policy — there is currently no evidence that a crime was committed,” USCP claimed.
Police claimed that the male staffer and his sexual partner “were not cooperative” and that the elements of “any of the possible crimes” were not met.
“The Congressional staffer, who has since resigned from his job, exercised his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent and refused to talk to us,” USCP said at the time, according to NBC News. “Our investigators are willing to review new evidence should any come to light.”
These incidents stand in stark contrast with Democrats’ false promises to restore “decency” to government after President Donald Trump’s first term.
Joe Biden: Decency is on the ballot! pic.twitter.com/20UHXfIHin
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) December 16, 2023
