Speaker Johnson Says Anyone Disrupting Netanyahu Speech Will Be Arrested
House Speaker Mike Johnson has issued a firm warning to lawmakers ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Wednesday, emphasizing that anyone attempting to disrupt the speech will face arrest.
In a formal letter, Johnson outlined that additional sergeants-at-arms and Capitol Police officers will be deployed to maintain order during the address. He made it clear that disruptions by lawmakers or guests would not be tolerated. “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,” the letter stated. Lawmakers involved in disruptions would be instructed to cease immediately.
The warning comes amid plans for protests outside the Capitol, including a proposed 5,000-person march demanding Netanyahu’s arrest. Authorities are bracing for potential unrest and heightened security measures around the Capitol complex.
The prime minister’s speech is set to begin at 2 p.m. EDT, and Johnson confirmed that police presence within and around the House Chamber would be increased to ensure the event proceeds without incident.
Vice President Kamala Harris, a leading contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, will not attend Netanyahu’s address, opting instead to participate in a separate event for the historically Black Zeta Phi Beta sorority. Senator Ben Cardin, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will preside over the joint session in her stead. Johnson criticized Harris’s absence, calling it “inexcusable” and accusing her of abandoning her responsibilities during a critical congressional session.
Protests have already spilled into the Capitol. On Tuesday, hundreds of anti-Israel demonstrators gathered inside the Cannon Building, prompting staff and interns to barricade themselves in offices, with several arrests reported. The heightened security is a response to both the anticipated crowd outside and prior disruptions inside the Capitol.
While tensions mount over Netanyahu’s speech, the political spotlight is also on Harris’s campaign prospects as she prepares for a potential Democratic nomination challenge.