Capitol Police officer suspended after anti-Semitic document spotted near security checkpoint

Six other officers were suspended following the Jan. 6 riot.

March 16, 2021, 2:12 PM

U.S. Capitol Police confirmed Tuesday that an officer has been suspended pending an investigation after an anti-Semitic document was spotted near a security checkpoint.

A copy of the "Protocols of the Meetings of the Learned Elders of Zion," a notorious anti-Semitic tract, was seen on a table near a security checkpoint in the the Longworth House Office Building, photos obtained by ABC News show.

The document, held together with a binder clip, alarmed a congressional aide who viewed the document in plain sight Sunday and then alerted the Washington Post, which first reported the story.

PHOTO: "The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion" sits at a table inside the Longworth House Office building.
"The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion" sits at a table inside the Longworth House Office building.
Courtesy Zach Fisch

"We take all allegations of inappropriate behavior seriously. Once this matter was brought to my attention, I immediately ordered the officer to be suspended until the Office of Professional Responsibility can thoroughly investigate," acting chief Yogananda Pittman said in a statement.

The suspended officer was not identified.

As a result of the Jan. 6 insurrection, six other Capitol Police officers have been suspended and 35 are under investigation for their actions related to the attack, including how they interacted with the rioters, Pittman told a congressional subcommittee last month.

PHOTO: "The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion" sits at a table inside the Longworth House Office building.
"The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion" sits at a table inside the Longworth House Office building.
Courtesy Zach Fisch

House Appropriations Legislative Subcommittee Chair Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, said little when asked after the hearing if he could say more about why the officers were suspended.

"It seems like it's nothing too dramatic, but it may be a lot of a few of those officers really stepping over the line when it comes to social media, and we'll get more clarity, as it as it comes," Ryan said.

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