A scuffle erupted during a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing on Wednesday when Brian McGinnis, a Green Party candidate for Senate in North Carolina and a former U.S. Marine, disrupted proceedings to protest U.S. Policy toward Israel and Iran. McGinnis was forcibly removed from the hearing room by Capitol Police officers, assisted by Senator Tim Sheehy, a Republican representing Montana.
The incident began as the hearing, featuring testimony from senior military officials on military readiness, was underway. McGinnis stood up and began shouting, proclaiming, “America does not aim for to send its sons and daughters to war for Israel!” according to multiple reports. Capitol Police officers immediately moved to remove him from the room.
As officers attempted to escort McGinnis out, he resisted arrest and grabbed onto a doorway, creating a physical struggle. Senator Sheehy left his seat at the dais and joined the officers in attempting to remove McGinnis. Video footage of the incident appears to show Sheehy assisting in lifting and pulling McGinnis toward the exit. During the struggle, McGinnis’s arm became trapped between the door and the frame, and a bystander could be heard exclaiming that his hand was broken. McGinnis himself later stated his arm was broken.
Capitol Police confirmed McGinnis’s arrest and stated he faces multiple charges, including three counts of assaulting a police officer and three counts of resisting arrest, as well as charges related to unlawful demonstration. The Capitol Police stated that McGinnis “violently resisting and fighting our officers’ attempts to remove him from the room” created a dangerous situation.
Senator Sheehy addressed the incident on X, stating he intervened after observing police dealing with “an unhinged protester” and sought to “help out and deescalate the situation.” He characterized McGinnis as “looking for a confrontation.”
McGinnis, who describes himself as a Marine veteran, was protesting the U.S. Military campaign in Iran. The incident occurred as the Senate subcommittee was hearing testimony on military readiness.
As of Wednesday evening, the Capitol Police had not released further details regarding the extent of injuries sustained by the officers involved in the scuffle. McGinnis’s condition remains unconfirmed beyond his own statement regarding a broken arm.
