GOP senator joins Capitol Police in attempt to forcibly remove anti-war protester during hearing
WASHINGTON — Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mt., helped U.S. Capitol Police officers arrest a man protesting the war in Iran during a Senate hearing Wednesday.
Sheehy said on X that Capitol Police attempted to remove a protester from the armed services hearing. “He was fighting back,” Sheehy said. “I decided to help and defuse the situation.”
Sheehy’s post included a replay of an apparent video of the incident, in which three police officers and Sheehy aggressively try to push the man away while his hand is stuck in a door frame, appearing to injure him.
As officers tried to pull him away, he shouted, “No one wants to fight for Israel.” People in the room shouted, “His hand, his hand!”
With the man’s hand stuck in the doorway, officers eventually released him after attempting to remove him from the room. As she did so, Sheehy walked away and returned to the front of the room. A passerby asked, “Is your hand okay?” To which the man replied, “No, that’s not the case. »
Capitol Police identified the man arrested as Brian McGinnis, 44, of North Carolina, who faces three counts of assault on a police officer, as well as three counts of resisting arrest and assembling, obstructing and obstructing an unlawful demonstration.
McGinnis is running for U.S. Senate in North Carolina as a Green Party candidate. He is a Marine veteran, according to his campaign website.
The incident occurred during a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing. Sheehy helped remove McGinnis, who at one point wrapped his hands around the door to the room.
Sheehy’s office directed NBC News to his post when asked for further comment on the incident. NBC News has reached out to McGinnis’ campaign for comment.
Capitol Police said in a statement that three officers were treated for their injuries.
“The suspect, who stuck his arm in a door to resist our officers and force his way into the courtroom, was also treated,” the statement said.
McGinnis said in a video Wednesday morning on
“Anyone who feels disillusioned and betrayed by our government is not alone. Join us in demanding accountability for this betrayal,” McGinnis said in the video.
The Capitol Police statement called McGinnis “an unruly man who began illegally protesting during a hearing, put everyone in a dangerous position by violently resisting and fighting our officer’s attempts to remove him from the room.”
The incident occurred shortly before 3 p.m. during a hearing in the Hart Senate Office building, police said.
“Protests are not permitted inside Congressional buildings,” Capitol Police added. “There are many other places on the Capitol grounds, outside, where protests are permitted.”
