‘This is insane,’ NJ lawmaker says — QAnon threat interrupts Congress

WASHINGTON — Congress raced through its business on two major reform bills on Wednesday after threats of a potential breach by a "known militia group" were reported by Capitol Police.

The threat appears to be connected to a far-right conspiracy theory, mainly promoted by supporters of QAnon, that former President Trump will rise again to power on March 4 and that thousands will come to Washington, D.C., to try to remove Democrats from office. March 4 was the original presidential inauguration day until 1933, when it was moved to Jan. 20.

U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J. 3rd District, in a series of statements on his Twitter account said he had received a message from Capitol police about the threat.

“We are now rushing to finish our legislative work tonight under threat of Qanon. This is insane,” Kim said, the only member of the New Jersey congressional delegation to comment on social media about the threat.

"I’m told this threat against us tomorrow is from an 'identified military group' but nothing else. We deserve to know who is threatening us. America deserves to know that what we face isn’t just vague Qanon followers but rather organized and mobilized operations," Kim said.

"They will worry about possible attacks by American citizens. Let me emphasize that again. They are worried about attacks by American citizens against our Capitol," Kim said.

The New Jersey National Guard has 300 members among the 5,200 troops at the Capitol. A large fence surrounds the U.S. Capitol perimeter, walling off all avenues of entry, which was put in place after Jan. 6.

Kim, who was photographed helping pick up debris after the Jan. 6 insurrection, was concerned that Congress is still facing threats.

"FBI Director said this threat is 'metastasizing' and acting Capitol Police chief Pittman said that threats against my colleagues in Congress is up 94% from last year," Kim said.

On Wednesday night, the House did pass along party lines voting and ethics legislation that would restrict partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts, strike down hurdles to voting and bring transparency to a murky campaign finance system that allows wealthy donors to anonymously bankroll political causes.

A police reform bill named after George Floyd was also passed along similar party lines. The bill would ban chokeholds and “qualified immunity” for law enforcement and create national standards for policing in a bid to bolster accountability.

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Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ