Ex-House staffer facing charges for unlawful possession of ammunition: Capitol Police

A former House staffer is facing charges for unlawful possession of ammunition after “officers found four ammunition magazines and eleven rounds of ammunition” in his bag at the Cannon House Office Building, according to the U.S. Capitol Police.

Capitol Police said in a statement emailed to The Hill on Monday that the ex-staffer, Michael Hopkins, came into the Cannon building around 8:45 a.m. “and put his bag through screening.” Police then spotted “what appeared to be ammunition on the x-ray screen.”

“After a hand search of the bag, officers found four ammunition magazines and eleven rounds of ammunition,” the Capitol Police said in their statement. “The staffer told the officers that he forgot the ammunition was in the bag.”

Authorities arrested Hopkins, 38, who now faces charges over unlawful possession of ammunition, “including one charge for possession of a high-capacity magazine,” Capitol Police said.

Hopkins worked as a communications director for Rep. Joseph Morelle (D-N.Y.). However, Jo Stiles, the New York Democrat’s chief of staff, said in a statement on Monday that “Mr. Hopkins is no longer employed by Representative Morelle’s office effective immediately.”

Prior to his work for Morelle’s office, the ex-communications director wrote opinion pieces for The Hill.

The Hill has reached out to Hopkins for further comment.