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Bill Johnson’s Clout Undercut by Gyrocopter Mayhem

It turns out we’re all equal in the eyes of the U.S. Capitol Police when things go cuckoo on the congressional campus.  

At least that’s the lesson a tipster presumes Rep. Bill Johnson learned when he attempted to play the “do-you-know-who-I-am?” card while cops were busy dealing with the flying dunceman who whizzed through restricted airspace before setting down in D.C.  

(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
(Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

“Bill Johnson and his staff tried the “I’m-a-member-of-Congress” trick to cut through the crime scene of the gyrocopter,” our spy said of the game played by just about anybody in D.C. sporting a patriotic lapel pin.  

The Ohio Republican, it would seem, did not warrant special consideration. “Police made him walk around like everyone else,” the tipster told HOH, adding that the re-directed pol might have fared better had he offered the cops one of the baked goods staff were spotted carrying. Team Johnson said the boss missed most of the excitement, but did try and make his way across the swirling crime scene to keep a date with some waiting constituents.  

“He was rushing back to our office for a meeting he had with some folks here from Ohio,” a GOP aide said.  

And it sounds like the aforementioned cookies were dealt with in-house. “Staff found them to be delicious,” Team Johnson said of the afternoon pick-me-up.  

The 114th: CQ Roll Call’s Guide to the New Congress Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone.

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