Well, well, well—another day, another glorious episode of “Rules for Thee, But Not for Me” starring none other than Senator Cory “I Live to Grandstand” Booker.
While the good senator was busy attempting to set a filibuster world record with a 24-hour verbal assault on President Trump’s policies (bless his vocal cords), a bit of real-life irony unfolded just outside the Senate Galleries: one of his own staffers was arrested for carrying a pistol without a license on Capitol grounds. You truly can’t make this stuff up.
Enter Kevin Batts, a 59-year-old retired Newark police officer and current driver for the senator. According to Capitol Police, Booker apparently led Batts around security screening at the Hart Senate Office Building—a cute little maneuver that would probably send a Republican’s career into full-blown media meltdown mode. Later that evening, Batts reportedly told officers he was armed. Oops. Just a little sidearm in one of the most heavily secured government facilities in the country. Nothing to see here.
Capitol Police made it clear in their statement: “All weapons are prohibited from Capitol Grounds, even if you are a retired law enforcement officer, or have a permit to carry in another state or the District of Columbia.” Translation: the law is the law. Unless, of course, you work for someone who spends his time pretending to be a Jedi Master of moral superiority while actively undermining the Second Amendment for everyone else.
STRAPPED: Senator Cory Booker’s top enforcer, Kevin A. Batts – known as ‘The Batt Man’ was arrested for illegal possession of a pistol at the Capitol. He is facing 1-10 years in a federal prison if convicted. pic.twitter.com/B811S1CKDn
— @amuse (@amuse) April 1, 2025
Let’s not forget that this is the same Cory Booker who hated the 2022 Supreme Court decision that struck down New York’s draconian concealed carry law. Back then, he clutched his pearls and declared that the ruling would lead to “more death and more violence.” Now fast-forward to 2025, and one of his own people—someone he escorted past security—is carrying on federal property without a license. Isn’t it funny how gun laws are always too lenient—until they get in the way of a progressive’s convenience?
Sen. Cory Booker took to the Senate floor and delivered a marathon speech excoriating the Trump administration, yielding after 25 hours and 5 minutes:
“This seemed like the right thing to do.” https://t.co/8hEZfkNgXX
— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 2, 2025
The National Association for Gun Rights didn’t miss the chance to call this one out. “Cory Booker snuck an armed employee into Capitol Hill,” they said on X. “Of course, the staffer should not need to be ‘licensed’ to carry. Rights do not require a permission slip. Unfortunately, Sen. Booker does not agree.
They force laws down upon you that they happily break themselves.” Boom. Nailed it. Because that’s the heart of the issue here: these anti-gun Democrats love to wrap themselves in the banner of “safety,” pass laws that punish law-abiding citizens, and then expect a free pass when those same laws suddenly apply to them.
Booker’s office, for its part, responded with a carefully-worded statement that, shockingly, failed to take any responsibility. They confirmed Batts is a retired Newark detective and a driver for the senator but said they’re still “working to better understand the circumstances.” Translation: they’re trying to figure out how to spin this without drawing more attention to the fact that their own policies are a tangled web of hypocrisy.
The double standard here is blinding. If a Republican staffer had done this, you’d have a CNN emergency panel by breakfast, Rachel Maddow doing a dramatic reading of the arrest affidavit by dinner, and calls for ethics probes by dessert. But since it’s Booker? Radio silence from the same media that screams about “gun culture” every time a red state dares to expand concealed carry rights.
This entire episode is peak D.C.—self-righteous lectures on gun control from people who clearly think the rules don’t apply to them. Cory Booker can talk until he’s blue in the face, but all the marathon speeches in the world won’t erase the fact that, when it comes to the Second Amendment, his moral high ground is built on quicksand.
