Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana assisted several police officers in physically ejecting a man who interrupted a Capitol Hill hearing on Wednesday to object to the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran.
The protester was Brian McGinnis, a Marine veteran running as a Green Party candidate in North Carolina's Senate race, according to his website. He said shortly afterward that his arm was broken during the clash with police and the senator. The U.S. Capitol Police accused him of "violently" assaulting officers.
The incident took place at a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing that featured testimony from senior military officials on military readiness. Just under 30 minutes after the hearing began, McGinnis began yelling, exclaiming at one point: "America does not want to send its sons and daughters to war for Israel."
Members of the Capitol Police attempted to remove McGinnis — who was wearing a military uniform — from the hearing room. McGinnis appeared to struggle with officers, according to a video provided to CBS News by an antiwar activist.
At one point, when McGinnis and police were near the doorway to the hearing room, Sheehy left the dais and began assisting the Capitol Police officers in lifting him up and ejecting him from the room. While authorities attempted to pull McGinnis out of the room, his left hand appeared to get stuck between the door and the frame. Sheehy then appears to try to dislodge it, at which point someone accuses him of breaking McGinnis' hand. Somebody later asked McGinnis if his hand was okay, and he responded, "No, it's not."
McGinnis was later escorted out of the room by police officers while Sheehy sat back down. While outside the room, McGinnis is heard on the video saying his left arm was broken.
Mark Elbourno, a Green Party official who manages McGinnis' Senate campaign, told CBS News that McGinnis was placed under arrest and transported to George Washington University Hospital. Elbourno said he was unsure of McGinnis' condition.
In a statement, U.S. Capitol Police said McGinnis is facing three counts of assaulting a police officer, three counts of resisting arrest and one count of crowding, obstructing and incommoding — meaning he was allegedly blocking an entrance or passageway — for interrupting the committee hearing.
Elbourno said he attended the hearing with McGinnis, who works as a firefighter, because they wanted to hear officials out. He said McGinnis stood up and pressed the Senate to stop funding the war with Iran because he "couldn't take their lies anymore."
Elbourno denied that McGinnis assaulted the officers.
"He wasn't assaulting anybody. … He just wanted to be heard [and was] speaking loud and clear," he told CBS News. "He was assaulted, actually. They broke his arm."
The Capitol Police alleged that McGinnis "put everyone in a dangerous position by violently resisting and fighting our officers' attempts to remove him from the room." The agency also said in a statement that McGinnis "got his own arm stuck in a door to resist our officers and force his way back into the hearing room." It said that three police officers were treated for injuries by local emergency medical services.
"Protests are not allowed inside the Congressional Buildings," the Capitol Police said. "There are plenty of other spots on Capitol Grounds, outside, where demonstrations are allowed."
Sheehy said in a post on X that he got involved because McGinnis was "fighting back" against police, and he sought to "help out and deescalate the situation."
"This gentleman came to the Capitol looking for a confrontation, and he got one," Sheehy said. "I hope he gets the help he needs without causing further violence."
Sheehy's office did not immediately respond to a further request for comment.
Senator Helps Officers Forcibly Remove Protesting Veteran From Hearing
Senator Tim Sheehy, Republican of Montana, helped Capitol Police officers forcibly remove an antiwar protester from a Senate hearing on Wednesday in a physical struggle that was captured on video.
The protester, Brian McGinnis, a Marine Corps veteran and a Green Party candidate for Senate in North Carolina, said on social media that his arm was broken during the struggle. The Capitol Police said three officers were also treated for injuries.
Video footage of the episode shows Mr. McGinnis, dressed in a Marine uniform with his arm hooked around a door in the Hart Senate Office Building during a subcommittee hearing on military readiness. Three Capitol Police officers struggle to grab Mr. McGinnis and pull him from the door when Senator Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, dives into the fracas and pulls Mr. McGinnis by the leg.
“No one wants to fight for Israel,” Mr. McGinnis shouts before an audible cracking noise is heard. Mr. Sheehy then hooks his arm around Mr. McGinnis’s arm, which is still bent around the door, and yanks.
The officers eventually removed Mr. McGinnis, 44, from the hearing room, and he was charged with three counts of assault on a police officer as well as resisting arrest, and crowding, obstructing and incommoding, the Capitol Police said in a statement.
Mr. McGinnis, “who got his own arm stuck in a door to resist our officers and force his way back into the hearing room, was also treated,” the Capitol Police said in their statement. Protests are not allowed inside congressional buildings, the statement said, adding, “There are plenty of other spots on Capitol Grounds, outside, where demonstrations are allowed.”
Senator Sheehy’s office did not immediately respond to a request for an interview. But Senator Sheehy shared video of the struggle on social media and defended his actions.
“Capitol Police were attempting to remove an unhinged protestor from the Armed Services hearing,” Senator Sheehy wrote on social media. “He was fighting back. I decided to help out and deescalate the situation. This gentleman came to the Capitol looking for a confrontation, and he got one.”
Mr. McGinnis did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A post signed “Team McGinnis” on his X account thanked people for their support, on behalf of Mr. McGinnis’s family.
“At this time, our priority is Brian’s wellbeing,” the post said. “We are taking a necessary step back from the public eye to allow him to focus fully on his recovery in private. While he looks forward to engaging with you all again very soon, his health and his family remain the current priorities.”
Senator Sheehy has voiced strong support for the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran that began on Saturday. He was among the Republican senators who on Wednesday blocked a measure that would have limited President Trump’s power to continue the war on Iran without congressional authorization.
Mr. McGinnis has expressed strong opposition to the war and Mr. Trump’s decision to deploy American forces to the Middle East.
“And for the record, I’ve been running long before this, and yes even after breaking my arm standing up for what I believe in,” he wrote on social media on Thursday. “It’s only made me more determined. Anger is real, and so is resolve.”
Michael Levenson covers breaking news for The Times from New York.
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