Ex-Marine dragged from Congressional hearing with broken arm
Former Marine Brian McGinnis was lifted by his feet and carried out of a Congressional hearing on the Iran war.
Republican senators joined Capitol Police on March 4 in forcibly removing anti-war demonstrators and Marine Corps veterans from a Senate Armed Services Subcommittee hearing.
The Marine, identified by Capitol Police as Brian McGinniss, shouted, “No one wants to fight for Israel” as he was dragged from the Readiness and Administrative Support Subcommittee hearing room.
This came days after the US and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28th. The war has so far killed the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei and six US soldiers.
“Wednesday afternoon, an unruly man who began an illegal protest during a public hearing violently resisted and struggled with officers attempting to remove him from the room, putting everyone in a dangerous position,” the Capitol Police said in a statement.
Capitol Police said McGinniss and three other officers were treated for injuries. The nature of their injuries is unknown. Reuters reported that McGinnis’ arm was broken in the interaction.
Video of the incident shows several officers dragging McGinnis, who was wearing a Marine Corps uniform, from the room as Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana tried to intervene in the scuffle.
“He was fighting back and I decided to work together to de-escalate the situation,” Sheehy said in a post on X. “This gentleman came to the Capitol looking for a confrontation, and he won the confrontation.”
USA TODAY has reached out to McGinnis for comment.
Watch as senators and police drag protesters out of the hearing.
McGinniss, 44, has been charged with three counts of assault on a police officer, resisting arrest and three counts of crowding, obstructing or failing to stay at a demonstration, according to the Capitol Police.
In a video of the incident, McGinniss stands up from the audience and says, “Israel is the cause of this war. America doesn’t want to fight this war for Israel,” as officers try to escort him away.
McGinniss appeared to resist the officers, and video footage shows his hand getting stuck in the doorway as officers tried to remove him.
“A suspect who resisted officers and had his arm caught in a door while attempting to force his way back into the hearing room was also treated,” Capitol Police said in a statement.
The incident occurred less than 30 minutes after the hearing began. The hearing was held to receive testimony from several military leaders about the readiness of military units.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) called for order at the hearing amid the protests.
“As a reminder to all witnesses, the Capitol Police will escort protesters from the hearing room. We ask for calm during the hearing,” Sullivan said.
Capitol Police also said in a statement: “Protests are prohibited inside the Capitol. There are many other locations on the Capitol grounds and outside where demonstrations are permitted.”
Watch the video at the top of this story.
Anti-war demonstrator is a Marine Corps veteran running for Senate
McGinnis is a Marine Corps veteran who is running for the U.S. Senate from North Carolina as a Green Party candidate. He served in the Marine Corps from 2000 to 2004, according to his website and campaign profile.
In a video posted to X on March 4, McGinniss, wearing a Marine uniform, said he had traveled to Washington, D.C., to speak to senators about the Iran war.
“I want to be here in Washington, D.C., to voice my opposition to the Senate and ask why the Senate would send our people into harm’s way when our elected officials say there is no world war,” McGinniss said.
Melina Khan is USA TODAY’s national trends reporter. Contact her at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
