CA Rep. Filner Charged with Assault and Battery

Representative Bob Filner (D-CA) was charged this week with assault and battery after violating the orders of an airport security officer in Dulles International Airport on his way to Iraq.

After apparently experiencing a â??delay in claiming his bag,â? Filner allegedly shoved past a baggage claim worker who had told Filner not to enter an employees only/restricted area, and refused to exit the area. He did not leave the area until after an airline employee called airport police. Filner is scheduled to appear in court on October 2 and has yet to release a statement, but has apparently called the charges, â??ridiculous.â?

This is not the first time a Washington, D.C. â??eliteâ? has flouted security rules. Just last year, Cynthia McKinney assaulted a Capitol Police Officer who asked her (three times) to walk though the metal detector she had bypassed. While our elected officials deserve respect and official business should certainly be expedited, they are not above the law or above rules put in place to keep them (and the American people) safe. We hope the House Ethics Committee takes a look at Filnerâ??s conduct, no matter of the outcome of the criminal proceedings.

Judicial Watch is a non-partisan, educational foundation dedicated to fighting government and judicial corruption and promoting a return to ethics and morality in our nation’s public life. To view the Judicial Watch Internet site click here (www.judicialwatch.org).