Several Republican lawmakers have accused the USCP of spying on them and their visitors, according to The Hill. USCP Chief Thomas Manger requested the investigation, saying in a letter dated January 27, 2022, that the move is a way to assure “the Congress as a whole and the public that these processes are legal, necessary and appropriate.”

Some in the GOP have voiced their opinions against the USCP recently. They have rallied behind Texas Representative Troy Nehls, who alleges that a capitol police officer “illegally” entered his officers in November 2021 and took photos of a whiteboard, according to Newsweek. Nehls also alleged that three intelligence officers “dressed like construction workers” and questioned his staff about the contents of the whiteboard later on.

Ohio Representative Jim Jordan said in an interview with Newsmax’s Grant Stinchfield that Nehls’ allegations were a “real concern” and an example of “today’s left.” Texas Representative Louie Gohmert said in a statement Tuesday that Nehls’ claims were a case of “Democrat’s [sic] spying on political opponents.”

Manger’s letter is addressed to Republican Representatives Rodney Davis of Illinois, Barry Loudermilk of Georgia, Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, Jim Banks of Indiana, Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota, Jordan and Nehls, who have voiced concerns over the USCP’s security and intelligence gathering efforts.

After the January 6 Capitol riot, Politico reported that the USCP began looking at the social media and backgrounds of people who meet with legislators. This new approach has drawn scrutiny from several lawmakers.

“A decision to expand background checks and intelligence gathering to a previously unsurveilled group of individuals constitutes a dramatic and troubling expansion of the USCP’s authority,” concerned lawmakers wrote in a letter to Congress’ security agencies in January, the day after the Politico article was published, according to The Hill.

Manger said in his letter that the USCP does not do “‘insider threats’-related surveillance or intelligence gathering” on lawmakers, staff and visitors to the Capitol. Manger wrote that the Politico article has “inaccurate facts, misleading information and unsupported conclusions.”

His letter outlines that USCP only does security assessments for events at the request of a Law Enforcement Coordination from a lawmaker’s office through their Sergeant at Arms offices or through the Dignitary Protection Division. Manger wrote that the practices related to this process have been in place since as far back as 2006.

“I want to be absolutely clear that at no time has the USCP researched Members of intentionally researched staff as part of this process,” Manger wrote. “Further, the USCP does not conduct criminal background checks on attendees, members or staff as part of this process. Finally, even the limited information that the Department gathers for security purposes is not compiled into some sort of ‘dossier’ on an individual or stored by the USCP in any searchable database.”

The USCP also directly addressed Nehls’ allegation, with Manger saying in a statement that officers had found his office door wide open and that officers are directed to document it and secure the office. Manger said USCP personnel followed up with Nehls’ staff and decided no further action was necessary.

The first request for a look into the USCP’s practices came from the five Republicans that were initially chosen by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to serve on the January 6 committee, The Hill reported. Jordan and Banks were blocked from serving on the committee. After they were blocked, Davis, Armstrong and Nehls refused to serve.

Update 02/10/22 5:28 p.m. ET: This story was updated to include background information.