Rantz: Rep. Jayapal received extra security after denying it to SCOTUS families

A month after Rep. Pramila Jayapal voted to deny funding for around-the-clock security for the families of Supreme Court justices, the Seattle Democrat received around-the-clock security for herself and her family.

King County prosecutors say you can hear Brett Forsell shout obscenities outside Jayapal’s home on July 9 via surveillance footage exclusively obtained by the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH. They say he also set up a tent near her home and told police he would return. After his arrest, prosecutors charged Forsell with felony stalking. He pleaded not guilty.

Jayapal called 911 to report the incident, but she also alerted the U.S. Capitol Police. As a result, she and her family received protection for roughly three weeks.

EXCLUSIVE: Brett Forsell was charged with stalking Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Seattle) after allegedly shouting obscenities outside her home. When he was told he was under arrest, he was shocked, telling the officer, "You don't bring murderers to jail now." (Warning: language) pic.twitter.com/Vzih8IUSCt

— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) August 30, 2022

Special protection

Forsell was booked for the alleged crime, and the arrest caught him by surprise. In a video obtained by the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH, Forsell tells police, “you don’t bring murderers to jail now.”

After the arrest, a special agent with the U.S. Capitol Police reached out to the Seattle Police Department (SPD) with a request.

“We have the ability to provide funding for some things and I wanted to see what the possibilities were for naming like an off-duty position for her house for the next couple of weeks,” he asked in a call exclusively obtained by the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH.

Soon, security was staged outside of Jayapal’s home. A source tells me that while the security might have been off-duty officers, it was not arranged via the SPD, but by a third party. The source tells me the Mayor’s office was involved, but that office did not respond to requests for comment.

While the U.S. Capitol Police also declined to comment, Jayapal told the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH that security was present for “about three weeks.”

“Largely because he [Forsell] lives six blocks from me, so the threat assessment level is high based on his weapon and location. It may continue depending on ongoing threat assessment,” Jayapal wrote.

Neither the U.S. Capitol Police, nor the congresswoman’s office would confirm whether the security was requested by the congresswoman or offered proactively.

Just over one month earlier, a man was arrested in an assassination plot against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. It renewed a push for security for the justices and their families. After finally making it to the House floor for a vote, Jayapal voted against it. She was looking for a companion bill that offers protections for abortion providers.

Has this changed Jayapal’s view on police?

After this incident, Jayapal said she appreciated the officers for the work they did on the night of the harassment. This is in stark contrast from her record generalizing cops as racist killers.

The congresswoman continues to falsely claim a police officer “murdered” Michael Brown. She baselessly claimed that Seattle police officers “were among the people attacking the Capitol,” implying they could have “ties to white nationalist groups.” She claimed that US Capitol Police permitted the January 6 rioters because they were majority white. Jayapal also demanded we “reimagine policing” and divert funds from police departments.

Jayapal tells the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH that her views on police remain consistent. She says that they play an important role, particularly when it comes to violent crime, but “they can’t do it alone, don’t want to and shouldn’t have to.”

Her office, however, would not explain if she regrets her vote against added security.

Congress must refuse to stand idly by as police continue to kill BIPOC people, and communities around the country demand change.

Abolish the filibuster. Pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

— Pramila Jayapal (@PramilaJayapal) April 13, 2021

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