They are sometimes removed to make it possible for furniture to be moved without jostling the buttons and sending the police a duress notification. having the option of a panic button and getting. The office of every member of Congress has duress buttons (attached to a front office desk and others throughout the lawmaker’s suite) which summon the Capitol Police, the aide notes. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts speaks about facing increased vitriol in an era when it’s easier than ever to send threatening messages. That may have resulted in the removal of the duress buttons, the aide says. An investigation has begun into the removal of panic buttons from the congressional office of Ayanna Pressley prior to last week’s storming of the Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump. Hill subsequently resigned amid an ethics investigation, which may have erroneously placed that office (despite its having been traded to Pressley) on a list to be emptied out at the end of the last Congress. Ayanna Pressley is the bald black congresswoman from Boston (she has alopecia areata) who is also a member of The Squad. The aide added that “it is likely relevant” that Pressley took over the office of former congresswoman Katie Hill (D-Calif.) in an office swap at the beginning of the last Congress. Representative Ayanna Pressley’s staff says that the panic buttons in her office had apparently been ripped out prior to the Capitol Hill riot, and they have no idea why that would have happened. There is a remarkable story unfolding relative to Ayanna Pressley’s panic button. He emailed:Ī preliminary investigation suggests that Pressley’s office was inadvertently placed on the Architect of the Capitol move list, and a vendor wrongly removed their duress buttons through a clerical screw-up. Opinion | One mystery involving the insurrection may be close to getting solvedĭemocrats make headway in learning why panic buttons were removed from a Congresswoman's office.Ī Democratic aide to the House Administration Committee, which is examining the matter, tells me that the preliminary belief is that it might have been a mistake. Unclear why this happened w/o her office being informed: In a statement to The Hill later on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Pressley said the matter has been raised. Greg were panic buttons removed from office?Īide tells me preliminary probe finds her office was mistakenly listed for a move.īUT: Cap Police still probing. Groh said in the interview that she did not know why the buttons had been removed.

Ayanna pressley panic button