Rep. Nehls accuses Capitol Police of secretly taking photo of documents while in his office

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Texas Rep. Troy Nehls, a Republican, accused the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) of placing him under "investigation" and taking a secret photo of constitutionally-protected legislative documents in his office.

Nehls blasted out a press release on Tuesday with the accusation, saying he was placed under a probe "in which a USCP officer entered his office and took a photo of private Congressional material protected by the Speech and Debate Clause, Article I Section 6 of the U.S. Constitution."

REPUBLICANS DEMAND PELOSI, LEADERSHIP INVESTIGATE REPORTS OF CAPITOL POLICE ‘MONITORING’ CITIZENS, LAWMAKERS

Troy Nehls attends the new member orientation in Washington in November 2020. (Marisa Schultz/Fox News)

"The photo was passed up to USCP intelligence analysts and a report was filed citing ‘suspicious writings,’" Nehls’ office wrote in the release. "That following Monday, three plainclothed USCP agents returned to the office, where they questioned a staff member about the contents of the questionably-obtained photo."

The freshman Republican accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Democrat leadership of "weaponizing Federal agencies to suppress opposing views" in a Tuesday statement to Fox News Digital.

U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger released a statement on Tuesday defending their officer, saying if "a member’s office is left open and unsecured, without anyone inside the office, USCP officers are directed to document that and secure the office to ensure nobody can wander in and steal or do anything else nefarious."

"The weekend before Thanksgiving, one of our vigilant officers spotted the congressman’s door was wide open," Manger said. "That Monday, USCP personnel personally followed up with the congressman’s staff and determined no investigation or further action of any kind was needed. No case investigation was ever initiated or conducted into the representative or his staff."

U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger testifies on Jan. 5, 2022, during a Senate Rules and Administration Committee oversight hearing on the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. (Tom Williams/Pool via AP)

"Speaker Pelosi is weaponizing the Capitol Police. I’m grateful that the USCP Inspector General is standing up for his officers and reviewing her anti-democratic plot," Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital. "Capitol Police officers deserve our thanks – they don’t deserve to be used as political pawns."

Nehls’ office provided Fox News Digital with correspondence and documents related to the incident, including a copy of the incident report that recounted the events as well as a list of answers from Manger relating to the incident, which confirmed the picture was taken by an officer.

The material in question was a dry erase board in the congressman’s office with information on new legislation related to police body armor and a map of the Rayburn House Office Building with an "x" labeled near the C Street entrance that Nehls’ office told USCP was to tell an intern where to grab ice.

The USCP incident report says the officer found Nehls’ office door open and announced himself as he investigated, before noticing "suspicious writings mentioning body armor" on the white board and the marked map.

An email from Manger to Nehls with the report filed by plainclothes officers interviewing the congressman’s staff the Monday before Thanksgiving last year confirmed what the materials were, with the reporting officer adding they "don’t feel this will need to be documented any further."

Troy Nehls served as the sheriff for Fort Bend County, Texas, before being elected to Congress.

Nehls’ press release came as USCP faces scrutiny over their recently-reported surveillance practice on lawmakers, their staffs and people they meet with.

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Several Republicans signed a letter to Pelosi and Committee on House Administration Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., calling on them to investigate the reports of Capitol Police "monitoring" lawmakers and citizens.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., led a Tuesday letter exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital with 33 of his GOP colleagues to Pelosi and Lofgren regarding reports that Capitol Police have dug into the backgrounds of people who meet with lawmakers.