WASHINGTON — Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock paid $112,000 on expenses labeled as security during the first three months of 2021, with most of that spending occurring after he was sworn into office Jan. 20.
The freshman lawmaker’s security costs are among the highest in Congress as a whole and indicate his high profile as the winner of a nationally watched race and the first Black Democratic senator elected from Georgia. But it also comes as members of Congress are increasing the money spent on protecting themselves and their offices after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Security spending for Warnock and other members of Georgia’s congressional delegation was obtained through an Atlanta Journal-Constitution review of their recent campaign finance reports covering the first quarter of 2021.
Warnock’s counterpart, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, spent roughly $48,000 on security. U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, who pulls double duty by also serving as chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Georgia, listed about $4,000 in security costs on her report.
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene had about $3,000 in expenditures labeled as security costs on her report. U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, who was a prominent gun safety advocate before her 2018 election, spent $7,500 on a vendor that helps remove personal information from the internet.
Representatives for each of these lawmakers declined to answer questions about their spending on security. That makes it impossible to know whether the expenditures are from costs incurred while campaigning or during their travels in their districts as elected officials.
“We don’t comment on issues of security due to the many threats Congresswoman Greene faces daily,” a spokeswoman for the Rome Republican said.
Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman told members of the House Appropriations Committee last month that the department’s mission of protecting the 535 members of Congress had grown more difficult this year.
“In the first two months of 2021, there has been over a 93% increase in the threats to members compared to the same period last year,” she said. “And from 2017 to 2020, there has been over a 118% increase in the total threats.”
Members on both sides of the aisle who opposed attempts to reverse President Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory reported receiving death threats. And they have asked for more money for law enforcement agencies that protect them, as well as increased spending of office and campaign funds for security.
The preferred vendor for both Warnock and Williams is Executive Protection Agencies, or EPA Security, based in Atlanta and one of the few Black-owned firms specializing in protecting VIPs. CEO Tim Howard declined to speak to the AJC, but his company website offers insight into his clientele.
“Originating with a staff of only two security professionals and zero clients, the Atlanta-based company quickly grew into the go-to agency for security protection by consistently providing great service,” the site says. “Howard now manages a staff of over 100 security professionals and dozens of recurring and new clients.”
In the weeks after the Capitol riot, when hundreds of people overran the building and interrupted a joint session of Congress to verify Biden’s Electoral College victory, members of Congress sought guidance on how to keep themselves safe. Five people, including one police officer and a Georgia woman who was trampled, died shortly before, during or after the riot.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a “dear colleague” letter on Feb. 2, noted that members of Congress were still dealing with the emotional effects of the insurrection. She encouraged them to take advantage of counseling and other resources and noted that safety had become a concern.
“The insurrectionist attack on January 6 was not only an attack on the Capitol, but was a traumatic assault targeting members,” she wrote.
By that time, the Republican Party’s campaign arms for House and Senate candidates had already asked the Federal Election Commission whether campaign donations could be used for security.
On March 25, the FEC issued an advisory opinion that said they could. It allowed the use of campaign funds to protect members facing “threats arising from their status as officeholders.”
The money has been used for security guards at events or when members are going about their private lives. The vendor preferred by Ossoff, No Limit Investigative and Security Services based in Tyrone, has armed guards and drivers available, although it’s unclear which services Ossoff has used.
The only spending tagged as security related on McBath’s report was a single line item for Reputation Defender, a company that helps people remove personal or negative information from internet searches.
“We believe that everyone has the right to be empowered online — whether that means controlling the spread of your personal information or the way you are portrayed to others,” its website says.
Members of the U.S. House have also received guidance on how they can use taxpayer funds on security. Allowable expenses include bodyguards at member-hosted events in their districts and upgrading the security systems at their homes, but it does not appear the money can be used for security officers when representatives are on personal time.
First-quarter reports for that spending, known as Statements of Disbursements, are expected to be made public by the end of May.
