Prosecutors dismissed charges against an aide to Virginia Sen. Jim Webb who carried a loaded handgun into a Senate office building. Phillip Thompson was arrested March 26 after he put a bag on an X-ray belt at the Russell Senate Office building. The X-ray showed that the bag held a loaded pistol and two fully loaded magazines.
In an e-mail released late Friday, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Taylor said that his officer wouldn’t pursue charges against Thompson.
“After reviewing and analyzing all of the evidence,” the e-mail said, “we do not believe the essential elements of the crime of carrying a pistol without a license can be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Thompson is a key aide and longtime friend to Webb.
The decision is not likely to sit well with the rank-and-file Capitol Police office who arrested Thompson. Many are still angry that former Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., was not charged with a crime after she slapped a Capitol Police officer last year.
“We commend the swift actions of the U.S. Capitol Police,” Taylor’s e-mail said.
