| Photo: Theodore’s World |
| Sen. Barbara Boxer’s office: “He submitted his resignation, and Sen. Boxer accepted it because his actions yesterday were wrong and unacceptable” |
A senior aide for Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) was arrested Tuesday for trying to bring marijuana into the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., according to U.S. Capitol Police reports.
Marcus Stanley, who served as senior economic adviser and at one time worked on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, chaired by Boxer, was stopped by a police officer when he allegedly tried to “remove and conceal” a “leafy green substance” from his pocket during a security screening at the Constitution Avenue door of the Hart Building around noon on Tuesday, according to Capitol Police.
Officers confiscated the substance, which later tested positive for marijuana, and Stanley quickly resigned, reports Erika Lovley at Politico.
“Marcus Stanley is no longer with this office,” Boxer spokesman Zachary Cold said. “He submitted his resignation, and Sen. Boxer accepted it because his actions yesterday were wrong and unacceptable.”
Stanley had worked on Capitol Hill since 2007, according to financial disclosures, and drew a six-figure salary. He has also worked for the Joint Economic Committee, Politico reports.
Marijuana possession is becoming a more prominent issue on the Capitol grounds, especially since the Capitol Visitor Center opened with additional visitor screening facilities. More than a dozen people have been stopped for bringing marijuana into the Capitol complex in the past 18 months, according to police records.
Marijuana legalization is a hot issue in Boxer’s senatorial race, as well as in other California elections, with the Prop 19 vote coming in November. California Democrats have been divided over the “tax and regulate” ballot question that would legalize cannabis and allow local and county governments to tax pot sales.
Both California senators, Boxer and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, also a Democrat, oppose Prop 19.
Stanley is the fourth Hill aide to be arrested by Capitol Police this year, according to Politico.
