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Brian McGinnis: 5 things to know about ex-Marine involved in Senate altercation with Sen. Tim Sheehy
Senator Tim Sheehy joined the Capitol Police in tossing ex-Marine protester Brian McGinnis from an Armed Services Subcommittee hearing.
In a wild moment in the US Senate on Wednesday, May 4, Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT) joined the Capitol Police in tossing an ex-Marine protester from an Armed Services Subcommittee hearing. The protester was identified as Brian McGinnis by CBS News correspondent Alan He.
The incident took place at a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing, where there was testimony from senior military officials on military readiness, according to CBS News.
In a statement on X, Sheehy said that McGinnis was “looking for a confrontation.” He wrote, “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.”
The Capitol Police said in a statement that McGinnis "put everyone in a dangerous position by violently resisting and fighting our officers' attempts to remove him from the room."
“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."
Let us take a look at five key things in the aftermath of the incident.
Five things to know as Brian McGinnis is tossed out of hearing:
- McGinnis was dressed in what appeared to be The Marine Corps Dress Uniform. Alan He wrote on X, “McGinnis is a Green Party candidate running for Senate in N.C.”
- A video of the confrontation shows McGinnis shouting “no one wants to fight for Israel” while being escorted out. He held on to the hearing room door with his left hand, which appeared to get stuck between the door and the frame, as onlookers yelled, “His hand, his hand! Oh! His hand! Oh, my God. Oh, sh**.” “Sir. Sir. Sir. Let go of your hand. Let go the door. Let go. Let go,” the officers can be heard calmly telling McGinnis.
- People in the room accused Sheehy of “breaking” McGinnis’ hand. “The senator broke his hand, a sitting U.S. Senator just broke the hand of a Marine!” yelled other people in the room. Sheehy, who left the scene, could be heard exchanging expletives with an audience member who apparently insulted him. McGinnis was later heard saying his left arm was broken.
- McGinnis was placed under arrest and transported to George Washington University Hospital, according to Mark Elbourno, a Green Party official who manages McGinnis' Senate campaign. U.S. Capitol Police said McGinnis is facing three counts of assaulting a police officer, three counts of resisting arrest and one count of crowding, obstructing and incommoding — which means he was allegedly blocking an entrance or passageway — for interrupting the committee hearing.
- Elbourno said that he attended the hearing with McGinnis, who works as a firefighter, because they decided to hear the officials out. He claimed that McGinnis urged the Senate to stop funding the war with Iran because he "couldn't take their lies anymore." He asserted that McGinnis did not assault the officers, saying, “He wasn't assaulting anybody. … He just wanted to be heard [and was] speaking loud and clear. He was assaulted, actually. They broke his arm."
