Montana Senator Tim Sheehy helped police officers to physically remove an “unhinged” man who was protesting the US and Israel’s war with Iran during the Capitol Hill hearing on Wednesday.
The protester, Brian McGinnis, said he was a Marine veteran running as a Green Party candidate in North Carolina’s Senate race, according to a CBS report.
Here’s what happened:
Brian McGinnis, who was wearing a military uniform, reportedly started yelling 30 minutes into the Capitol hearing of the Senate Armed Services subcommittee. At one point, the CBS report said, he exclaimed: “America does not want to send its sons and daughters to war for Israel.”
In the now-viral video, McGinnis could be seen struggling with the Capitol Police officers who were trying to remove him from the hearing room as he clung to the doorway.
At that point, Tim Sheehy, who is also a former Navy SEAL officer, left the dais and began assisting the Capitol Police officers in lifting him up and ejecting him from the room, according to a video provided to CBS News by an antiwar activist.
The Montana Senator also shared the CBS clip on his X account and said, “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 said. “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.”
Watch the viral video here:
Brian McGinnis says his arm was broken
Shortly after being thrown out of the Capitol Hill, Brian McGinnis said that his arm was broken during the clash with police and the senator.
In the video, McGinnis’ left hand appeared to get stuck between the door and the frame while the police authorities attempted to pull him out of the room. Sheehy then appears to try to dislodge it, at which point someone accused him of breaking McGinnis’ hand.
Later, when McGinnis was asked if his hand was okay, he responded, saying, “No, it’s not.” While outside the room, the anti-war protester could be heard saying his left arm was broken.
What did the US Capitol Police say?
The US Capitol Police has accused Brian McGinnis of “violently” assaulting officers.
In a statement, according to CBS, the agency said that McGinnis is facing three counts of assaulting a police officer, three counts of resisting arrest and one count of crowding, obstructing and incommoding (blocking an entrance or passageway) for interrupting the committee hearing.
The Capitol Police also 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 claimed that McGinnis “got his own arm stuck in a door to resist our officers and force his way back into the hearing room.” It said that 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.”
‘He wasn’t assaulting anyone’: Green Party official
Mark Elbourno, a Green Party official who manages Brian McGinnis’ Senate campaign, told CBS News that McGinnis stood up and pressed the Senate to stop funding the war with Iran because he “couldn’t take their lies anymore.”
Dening that McGinnis assaulted the officers, Elbourno said, “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,” he told CBS.
