Gohmert Responds to D.C. Ticket Incident

WASHINGTON, D.C. � Tyler Congressman Louie Gohmert is catching heat for an alleged dispute with United States Park Police officers over a March 13 parking ticket in Washington D.C. According to POLITICO, law enforcement reported Gohmert was �rude and irate.� It is also said Gohmert took the ticket off his windshield and put it on a police car along with his business card with a written message: �Oversight of Park Service is my job! Natural Resources Thus the Congressional Plate in window.� Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint with the Congressional Ethics office against the Texas Republican for poor behavior as a congressman, stated the Houston Chronicle.

In an interview with KETK, Congressman Gohmert gave his side of the story. The congressman said he�s been parking in the area for years with no problems. �I take a lot of the people around the Capitol, as I�ve got time, I take them to a monument or two,� said Gohmert. �I�m not always able to do that. I�m on the National Resource Committee and I go down to Lincoln Memorial. People have complained from East Texas about the film under the Lincoln memorial and bird poop. I go down there quite a bit. For 8 years, I�ve been told by the national park service people, �No, you can park anywhere we park. If we can park there, Congressman, you can park there.� They�ve always been very gracious and I�ve always gotten along great with them.�

According to Gohmert, he was at the memorial between 11 p.m. and midnight for about 15 minutes before he returned to find a ticket under his windshield wiper. That�s when the congressman spoke to a park officer to discuss the matter. Gohmert claims he was not out of control as media reports have speculated. �I didn�t think I was irate,� said Rep. Gohmert. �I don�t believe from what I�ve been told before that I�m supposed to get a ticket.� After showing his congressional plate to the officer, he handed him a card and offered to talk with him at anytime.

The Texas congressman told KETK he believes he�s not in the wrong, but would pay the $25 fine if proven otherwise. �And by the way, so far, what we�ve been able to find is probably the D.C. Code applies there,� said Gohmert. �And the code says a member of Congress may park in any available space in the District of Columbia. If I�m wrong, I�ll pay the ticket. Nobody is above the law, I don�t care who you are. I certainly believe that.� As for the organization who filed the complaint against Mr. Gohmert, he�s not surprised, saying the �leftist group� only comes after Republicans. �I guess it�s an honor for them to think I�m worthy of coming after,� stated the congressman.