A Michigan congressman’s office was broken into and vandalized on Wednesday night, the Washington Post reports.
U.S. Rep. John Dingell, 96, has represented Michigan’s 12th Congressional District since 1955. His father, who died in March at the age of 92, represented the district from 1933 to 1955. The youngest member of Congress, Dingell has served as the chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce since 1982. On April 26, he announced that he would be retiring at the end of his term in January, making him the longest-serving U.S. congressman in history.
Dingell’s office was broken into sometime between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. A cardboard cutout of Dingell was put upside down and a decal of his face was spray-painted with a purple and green smiley face. Some paint and glass shards were also found in a plastic mailbox at the Capitol Building. The Detroit Free Press reports that a photocopier was also taken from the office.
#BREAKING: Rep. John Dingell’s office in #Detroit was broken into by someone who smashed display cases and spray painted him on photo wall. Deputies didn’t find any gunpowder residue but noticed the decal was “overly bright.” https://t.co/dHoxNu8yiC pic.twitter.com/2Od1c4kOzv — The Root (@TheRoot) July 6, 2020
Congressman Dingell did not have security screening at his district office. Sources told the Free Press that he will probably not have security screening at the Capitol in the future either. “The Capitol has a secure area,” an aide told the paper. “This was a crime. We’ll be looking into how it happened and making sure it won’t happen again.”