Pete Sessions

The chief of staff for Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, is facing felony charges for allegedly bringing a firearm into the U.S. Capitol complex in Washington, DC.

According to court records obtained by USA TODAY, Sessions’ chief of staff, Luis Angel Vega, is facing charges of carrying a pistol outside his home without a license and unlawful conduct on Capitol grounds.

Court records say that the incident happened on the morning of Dec. 22, 2025, during which Capitol security officers found a black pistol and ammunition inside Vega’s bag as it was being scanned at a security checkpoint at the entrance of a House of Representatives office building.

According to the filings, Vega was instructed to lock up the firearm in his car and return to rescreen his bag, which officials say he did.

Sessions' office and Vega’s attorney did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on June 5.

Vega admits to not having license to carry pistol, court docs say

A week after the incident, U.S. Capitol Police conducted a phone interview with Vega during which he told officers that he did not have a license to carry the pistol, court records state. In the same interview, Vega told officers that he usually enters the House office building with Sessions, who is referred to as “Witness-1” in court records.

Vega told officers he usually entered with Sessions, as the representative is exempt from security screenings.

“The day of the offense was out of the ordinary in that Witness-1 entered the building separately from the defendant and the defendant forgot there was a pistol in his bag,” court records state.

Vega made his first court appearance on June 5, according to online court records. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 10.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.