Capitol Police officer suspended after anti-Semitic tract found near work station

A Capitol Police officer was suspended on Monday after "anti-Semitic reading material" was found near his work area, acting Chief Yogananda D. Pittman announced in a statement.

The Washington Post obtained photos showing a copy of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion on a table at a checkpoint inside an entrance to the Longworth House Office Building. This discredited publication first emerged in the early 1900s, claiming to describe a Jewish conspiracy to dominate the world. Since then, it has become one of the world's most pervasive anti-Semitic tracts.

The document was spotted by a House aide on Sunday night, who told the Post they felt "extremely rattled" by the content, especially in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot; several rioters were seen wearing clothes with anti-Semitic slogans. The Post reports that the Protocols of the Elders of Zion copy appears to have been downloaded from the website of the Bible Believers Church, which offers visitors anti-Semitic materials.

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The Post showed pictures of the document to Capitol Police on Monday morning. On Monday evening, Pittman said the department takes "all allegations of inappropriate behavior seriously. Once this matter was brought to my attention, I immediately ordered the officer to be suspended until the Office of Professional Responsibility can thoroughly investigate."

Last month, a Capitol Police spokesman announced that 35 officers were being investigated for their actions during the assault on the Capitol. Some officers were seen taking selfies with rioters, and court documents allege that one officer shook hands with rioters and said the Capitol was "your house now."