Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana assisted several police officers in physically ejecting a man who interrupted a Capitol Hill hearing on Wednesday. The protester, Brian McGinnis, objected to the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran during the session.
McGinnis, who describes himself as a Marine veteran and is running as a Green Party candidate in North Carolina’s Senate race, later stated 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 occurred during a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing featuring testimony from members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on military readiness. Just under 30 minutes after the hearing began, McGinnis started yelling, exclaiming, “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. According to a video provided to CBS News by an antiwar activist, McGinnis appeared to struggle with the officers.
At one point, when McGinnis and police were near the doorway to the hearing room, Sen. Sheehy left the dais and began assisting the Capitol Police officers in lifting McGinnis and ejecting him from the room. While authorities tried to pull McGinnis out, his left hand appeared to get stuck between the door and the frame.
Sheehy then seemed to try to dislodge the hand, after which someone accused him of breaking McGinnis’ arm. When asked if his hand was okay, McGinnis responded, “No, it’s not.” He was later escorted out of the room by police officers while Sheehy returned to his seat.
Outside the room, McGinnis is heard on video saying that his left arm was broken. Mark Elbourno, a Green Party official managing 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 faces three counts of assaulting a police officer, three counts of resisting arrest, and one count of crowding, obstructing, and incommoding—which means he allegedly blocked an entrance or passageway in the committee hearing.
Elbourno, who attended the hearing with McGinnis, a firefighter, said they wanted to hear the officials out. He explained that McGinnis stood up and urged the Senate to stop funding the war with Iran because he “couldn’t take their lies anymore.”
Elbourno denied that McGinnis assaulted 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.”
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.”
Sen. Sheehy explained in a post on X that he got involved because McGinnis was “fighting back” against police. He said 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 further requests for comment.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tim-sheehy-joins-police-in-ejecting-protester-from-capitol-hill-hearing/