Military Transport Used for Congressional Travel Inside Washington

Members of Congress have been using military vehicles to get around Washington, D.C., where most federal buildings are within just a few miles of each other.

Roll Call first reported Wednesday about records showing that lawmakers have, on occasion, asked the Pentagon to provide military transport to official events in the nation's capital.

A Democratic aide confirmed that military escorts are sometimes requested -- but stressed that the vehicles are only tapped for large groups typically bigger than 100 people. The aide said the lawmakers look to the Pentagon because transporting a large chunk of Congress around Washington is a "major" security risk.

"If there's 150 members of Congress traveling together, that is a security risk," the aide told FoxNews.com. "It's not because the lawmakers are trying to take advantage or anything. ... We're talking about large, large numbers."

Roll Call reported that Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., who was House Republican Conference chairman at the time, requested military transport in 2007 for Republicans traveling from Capitol Hill to the White House to see former President George W. Bush. The military was used to provide transportation for several inaugural events last year, including the Jan. 18 concert at the Lincoln Memorial, the Inauguration Day parade and the national prayer service the next day at the National Cathedral.

But the Democratic aide said "hundreds" of lawmakers were on board for those inner-city trips and that the police-state-like atmosphere in the city at inauguration time made it "impossible to do it otherwise."

Typically, lawmakers can either call a cab to get around the city by themselves or use the U.S. Capitol Police, particularly for when they are traveling in small to mid-sized groups.

The Sergeant at Arms office, which could not be reached for comment, usually makes the call on whether the delegation is too big for the Capitol Police to handle, the aide said.

Chris Farrell, director of investigation with watchdog group Judicial Watch, said the use of military vehicles for transporting lawmakers other than top brass like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi nevertheless appears "excessive." Judicial Watch has issued prior reports critical of Congress for using military transport.