A Democratic senator\u2019s staffer for Cory Booker,Kevin Batts,was arrested in early 2025 for bringing a pistol into the U.S.Capitol without the proper license. According to reporting cited in the article, the Justice Department later decided not to prosecute him about two weeks after the arrest, and Booker\u2019s office said this was as Batts had an active New Jersey retired law enforcement carry permit. The article notes Batts is a retired Newark police detective and reportedly works as Booker\u2019s assistant\/driver.<\/p>\n

The piece argues the case raises questions because Capitol Police had previously stated that weapons are prohibited on Capitol grounds even for retired law enforcement officers<\/a> or those with permits from other jurisdictions. It also points out that Batts received donor money for a legal defense fund. It contrasts this outcome with another staffer, Jeffrey Allsbrooks, who in 2021 allegedly had a loaded handgun missed during security screening at a House office building, leading to charges and, per later reporting, a plea deal and dismissed case after community service.<\/p>\n

the article frames the dropped charges for Batts as evidence of a perceived double standard compared with the more punitive handling of a similar earlier incident involving a congressional staffer. <\/p>\n