A staffer for Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who was arrested last year for bringing a pistol into the Capitol without a license, saw the charges quickly dropped and walked away from the incident without further consequence, despite lingering questions.
This is quite a surprise, especially given how radical the Democratic Party is about gun regulations, the Second Amendment, and gun-free zones.
In anarticlepublished last week, Politico reported the Justice Department recently discovered that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia chose not to prosecute Kevin Batts in April 2025, about two weeks after his arrest.
Timothy Lauer, a spokesperson for Booker’s office, said in a statement that Batts didn’t face criminal charges because he had an active New Jersey retired law enforcement carry permit.
Batts is a retired Newark police detective and reportedly serves as a special assistant and driver for Booker.
This is strange, however, because at the time of Batts’ arrest, the U.S. Capitol Policesaid,“All weapons are prohibited from Capitol Grounds, even if you are a retired law enforcement officer, or have a permit to carry in another state or the District of Columbia.”
How did Batts get away with this? If an average citizen bought a pistol onto Capitol grounds, they’d likely be facing a judge and jury, or would be pressured into taking a plea deal, even if they, too, were a retried police officer.
A Capitol Police spokesperson said that the department “arrested Mr. Batts on March 31, 2025, for Carrying a Pistol Without a License (Outside Home or Place of Business), Unlawful Activities, Possession of Unregistered Firearm, and Possession of Unregistered Ammunition.”
When the U.S. Attorney’s office was questioned by Politico about the last three charges, it referred the outlet to its previous statement about Batt’s carry permit.
Batts even received $6,000 from donors for a legal defense fund, according to filings that were examined by Politico.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
