Mitch McConnell demands House Democrats pass a bill strengthening security for Supreme Court justices 'before the sun sets today' after man who threatened to kill Kavanaugh arrested
- The Senate easily passed a one-page bill extending security to Supreme Court justices' families almost a month ago.
- That came after the leak of a draft opinion showing the court poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is demanding the House pass a one-page bill that increases security protections for Supreme Court justices and their families following the arrest of an armed man who made threats against Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Wednesday.
"House Democrats need to stop their multi-week blockade against the Supreme Court security bill and pass it before the sun sets today," the top Republican said in remarks on the Senate floor.
The Senate unanimously passed the bipartisan bill last month amid the possibility of violence against justices after a leaked draft opinion showed the Supreme Court may overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that legalized abortion nationwide nearly 50 years ago. The draft triggered a wave of protests outside the Supreme Court and the justices' homes, including Kavanaugh's, last month.
The legislation — sponsored by Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware — would extend protections by Supreme Court Police to immediate family members of the justices.
The bill gained renewed attention on Capitol Hill on Wednesday after police officers arrested a man near Kavanaugh's Chevy Chase, Maryland home, who said he wanted to kill a Supreme Court justice.
McConnell urged the House to take action in light of the "extremely disturbing" news on Wednesday, he said.
"This is exactly why the Senate passed legislation very shortly after the leak to enhance the police protection for the Justices and their families," McConnell said in floor remarks. "This is commonsense, non-controversial legislation that passed this chamber unanimously."
"But House Democrats have spent weeks blocking it. The House Democratic majority has refused to take it up," he added. "That needs to change. Right now. House Democrats must pass this bill and they must do it today."
Authorities found numerous weapons and burglary tools, including a tactical knife, a pistol, zip ties, and a crowbar, in a suitcase and backpack on the man, who was identified as 26-year-old Nicholas John Roske, according to court documents.
Roske told authorities he traveled from California "to kill a specific United States Supreme Court Justice," per court documents. Kavanaugh's name is not mentioned in the records, but a source close to the investigation told Insider that Roske went to the justice's home with the "intent to kill" him.
Police arrested Roske on a street near Kavanaugh's home around 1:50 a.m. after he called 911 on himself and told dispatchers "he was having suicidal thoughts and had a firearm in his suitcase," court records show. He was taken to Montgomery County jail, a police department spokesperson said.
Roske told a Montgomery County police detective "that he was upset about the leak of a recent Supreme Court draft decision regarding the right to abortion as well as the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas," court documents say.
House Democrats have insisted that they want to extend the security protections to Supreme Court clerks and staffers as well, which Cornyn has taken issue with. The Texas Republican argued last month that the bill included "divisive provisions," including "potentially extending police protection to the very person who leaked the draft opinion."
Asked about the progress of the legislation on Wednesday, Democratic House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said it could be passed "relatively soon," and that he'd discussed the bill with both Cornyn and Coons this week.
