Senate sex tape: Staffer escapes charges for video as Capitol police close case
WASHINGTON - There will be no criminal charges filed against Senator Ben Cardin’s former aide who made a sex video in a Senate hearing room.
Capitol police have closed the case, but questions remain on Capitol Hill.
A spokeperson for Senator Cardin told FOX 5 "Senator Cardin thanks Capitol Police for their service."
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Senate staffer's sex tape raises major security red flags on Capitol Hill
Big security concerns are being raised on Capitol Hill after an aide to a Maryland senator was allegedly one of the two men seen in a sex video recorded in a Senate hearing room.
The U.S. Capitol Police Department announced that "despite a likely violation of congressional policy, there is currently no evidence that a crime was committed."
While the hearing room was closed to the public, police say the ex-staffer did have access to the room. But some folks at the capitol Thursday told FOX 5 that not filing charges was the wrong decision, and sends the wrong message.
Hart Senate Office Building Room 216 as it was set up for the confirmation hearing of Supreme Court justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett on Friday, Oct. 9, 2020. (Photo by Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The sex tape was shot in one of the most secure hearing rooms on Capitol Hill. Hart 216 is used for classified intelligence briefings.
It can be sealed up for classified hearings.
Alleged congressional staffer fired after filming sex tape inside Senate hearing room: report
A person identified as a congressional staffer has been fired after allegedly filming an explicit sex tape inside a Senate hearing room, according to a report on FOX News.
Jeff James, a retired U.S. Secret Service agent, told FOX 5 that it’s debatable if charges should be pressed. What’s not debatable is that security reforms are needed.
"Information can’t go out or go in there, and that’s incredibly important," James said. "Maybe you need an update to policies that says unless you meet a certain standard of clearance, you can't have access to that room just because you have a pass to be on the hill."
When the scandal broke, Senator Cardin said he was "angry" and "disappointed," calling the situation a "breach of trust."
Capitol police also revealed Thursday that the former congressional staffer and another person of interest invoked their 5th Amendment rights - and refused to talk to police.
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