A Senate Armed Services Committee hearing went sideways on Wednesday when an anti-war protester and Green Party candidate attempted to disrupt the proceedings, shouting, “No one wants to fight for Israel!”
The protester, identified as Brian McGinnis, a Marine Corps veteran and Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, had to be dragged from the hearing by Capitol Police — and when he grabbed onto a door to prevent them from removing him, Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT) jumped into action as well.
WATCH:
🚨 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
The initial confrontation showed McGinnis, wearing his Marine Corps dress uniform as he resisted, flailing and attempting to use his body weight against the officers who were trying to get him out of the room. When Capitol Police were finally able to get him to the door, he could be seen grabbing the door, wedging his arm between the door and the frame.
Sheehy, a retired Navy SEAL, assisted the officers in their efforts, pausing only briefly to help pry McGinnis’s hand from the door.
WATCH:
Senator Sheehy joined Capitol Police in lifting up and ejecting anti war protestor Brian McGinnis from a SASC subcommittee hearing. McGinnis is a Green Party candidate running for Senate in N.C. An antiwar activist filmed the video below: pic.twitter.com/0dVA0ORWXQ
— Alan He (@alanhe) March 4, 2026
“No one wants to fight for Israel!” McGinnis shouted, apparently referencing Operation Epic Fury, the joint campaign with Israel against the Iranian regime.
Another protester could be heard shouting as Sheehy tried — with no luck — to pull McGinnis’s hand away from the door, claiming that Sheehy had broken the candidate’s hand: “A U.S. Senator just broke the hand of a Marine!”
Back on his feet, McGinnis complained that his hand was stuck, and several Capitol Police officers continued to attempt to free him from the door.
Sheehy responded to the incident in a post on X, saying, “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. 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.”
Capitol Police also released a statement following the altercation, telling The Daily Montanan, “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 officer’s attempts to remove him from the room.”
The statement also said that McGinnis was treated for an unspecified injury — but that three of the Capitol Police officers also had to be treated for injuries as a result of his actions.
McGinnis faces three counts of “resisting arrest and crowding, obstructing, and incommoding for the unlawful demonstration” as well as three counts of assaulting a law enforcement officer.
“Protests are not allowed inside the Congressional Buildings. There are plenty of other spots on Capitol Grounds, outside, where demonstrations are allowed,” the statement added.
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