A Senate Armed Services Committee hearing erupted into chaos on Wednesday when an anti-war protester interrupted proceedings and had to be forcibly removed by law enforcement.
The protester, identified as Brian McGinnis, a Marine Corps veteran and Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, began shouting during the hearing, declaring, “No one wants to fight for Israel!”
Capitol Police quickly moved to remove McGinnis from the room, but the situation escalated when he resisted the officers’ efforts. Video from the hearing shows McGinnis, wearing his Marine Corps dress uniform, flailing and attempting to use his body weight to resist being escorted out.
As officers attempted to remove him from the chamber, McGinnis grabbed onto a door frame and wedged his arm between the door and the frame in an effort to stop them from pulling him out.
At that moment, Senator Tim Sheehy of Montana, a retired Navy SEAL, stepped in to assist the officers. Sheehy briefly helped police pry McGinnis’s hand away from the door as they worked to remove him from the hearing room.
? UPDATE: New video from the moments BEFORE the Sen. Sheehy intervened show the veteran aggressively resisting US Capitol Police’s attempts to remove him from the hearing following his interruption
THREE officers were treated for injuries by DC EMS, per USCP
You can also… pic.twitter.com/nZdSHpw9dB
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 5, 2026
Another protester shouted during the incident, claiming Sheehy had broken McGinnis’s hand and yelling, “A U.S. Senator just broke the hand of a Marine!”
After the altercation, McGinnis complained that his hand was stuck as officers continued attempting to free him from the door.
Sheehy later addressed the incident in a post on X, explaining why he stepped in.
“Capitol Police were attempting to remove an unhinged protestor from the Armed Services hearing. He was fighting back. I decided to help out and deescalate the situation,” Sheehy wrote.
“This gentleman came to the Capitol looking for a confrontation, and he got one. I hope he gets the help he needs without causing further violence,” he added.
The United States Capitol Police released a statement afterward saying the protester had created a dangerous situation by resisting removal.
“This afternoon, an unruly man who started to illegally protest during a hearing put everyone in a dangerous position by violently resisting and fighting our officers’ attempts to remove him from the room,” the statement said.
Authorities confirmed that McGinnis was treated for an unspecified injury following the incident. Three Capitol Police officers were also treated for injuries sustained during the confrontation.
McGinnis now faces multiple charges, including resisting arrest, unlawful demonstration inside a congressional building, and three counts of assaulting a law enforcement officer.
Capitol Police reminded the public that protests are not allowed inside congressional buildings, noting that demonstrations must take place outside on designated Capitol grounds.
The post Navy SEAL Senator Helps Police Remove Anti-War Protester From Senate Hearing appeared first on Real News Now.
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