Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi doesn’t need to be coaxed to talk about almost any issue.
But on the U.S. Capitol barrier, Nancy is staying mum.
The Free Press readers might recall a report nearly a month ago that 42 Republican House members had written Pelosi a letter urging her to take down the 7-foot-high, razor-wire topped fence that went up around the Capitol shortly after the tragic Jan. 6 riot.
The lawmakers, led by North Carolina GOP Rep. Ted Budd, said they were “concerned with recent reports that the fencing surrounding the Capitol may become permanent.
“It’s time. It’s time for healing and it’s time for the removal of the fencing so the nation may move forward,” they added.
But on Monday, CNSNews reported that Pelosi has yet to answer the letter.
Budd’s spokesman said, “No, Speaker Pelosi never formally responded. Her office simply confirmed they received it. That’s it.”
As CNSNews.com noted, “The imposing, unscalable fence runs for more than three miles, encircling the U.S. Capitol, the Botanical Gardens, the three major Senate office buildings, the three major House office buildings, the U.S. Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. The National Guard troops patrol from behind the fence, inside the perimeter.”
Eleanor Holmes Norton, the congressional delegate from the District of Columbia, said two weeks ago that the fence makes the Capitol area look like a “concentration camp.”
Back on Jan. 28, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser tweeted, “We will not accept extra troops or permanent fencing as a long-term fixture in DC.” Bowser expressed concern about keeping “any proposed security installations from intruding into our local neighborhoods.”
The decision on the fence will be made by the Capitol Police Board, which includes the House speaker, the Senate majority leader, the House and Senate sergeants at arms, the architect of the Capitol, the doorkeeper, and the chief of the Capitol Police.
CNSNews.com noted that both Pelosi and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have suggested they want to wait until retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré has finished his report on security at the Capitol.
That report is due Friday.
Still, it’s arguable that Pelosi and Schumer are relieved of the burden of making a tough decision themselves. They can just lean on Honoré, whatever his findings are, and conveniently retain someone to blame if the Capitol sees more violence or if it continues to resemble a concentration camp.