Things spiraled fast inside a Senate hearing room this week after a former Marine stood up and shouted a blunt anti-war message — and the confrontation that followed ended with injuries, arrests, and a senator being called a “coward” to his face.
Former Marine Sgt. Brian McGuinness interrupted a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee inside the Hart Senate Office Building by declaring: “No one wants to fight for Israel.”
Within seconds, Capitol Police moved in to remove him from the room.
Video from the incident shows officers escorting McGuinness — who was wearing a Marine Corps uniform — toward the exit. But as they attempted to push him through the door, the situation turned chaotic.
McGuinness slipped his left hand into the hinge area between the door and the frame in an apparent attempt to stop officers from forcing him out of the room.
That’s when Tim Sheehy stepped in.
The Republican senator physically joined the officers as they wrestled with the protester and helped lift McGuinness while trying to eject him from the hearing.
According to reports circulating after the incident, McGuinness’ hand or part of his arm may have been broken during the struggle.
As the confrontation unfolded, people in the room shouted angrily at the senator.
“A senator just broke the hand of a Marine!” one person yelled.
“You’re a coward!” another voice shouted as Sheehy walked toward the back of the chamber.
The protester was later identified as 44-year-old Brian C. McGinnis, who, according to CBS News reporter Alan He, is also a Green Party candidate for Senate in North Carolina.
He wrote on social media: “Senator Sheehy joined Capitol Police in lifting up and ejecting anti war protestor Brian McGinnis from a SASC subcommittee hearing.”
Capitol Police said the incident happened shortly before 3 p.m. during the hearing inside the Hart Senate Office Building. Officers said McGinnis attempted to resist removal and forced his arm into the door as police pushed him out.
“The suspect … got his own arm stuck in a door to resist our officers and force his way back into the hearing room,” police said in a statement.
Police say he now faces multiple charges, including three counts of assault on a police officer, three counts of resisting arrest, and an additional charge of crowding, obstructing, or incommoding for unlawful demonstration.
Authorities also reminded the public that protests are not permitted inside congressional buildings, though demonstrations are allowed outside on Capitol grounds.
Sheehy later defended his role in the incident on X, claiming he stepped in to help calm things down.
“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.”
Meanwhile, the video continues circulating online — fueling a growing debate about the protest, the senator’s involvement, and the broader tensions surrounding the possibility of a wider war with Iran.
Watch the vide below:
