When a protester disrupted a Senate committee hearing, Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana took the situation into his own hands… literally.
Brian McGinnis, a 44-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran (served 2000-2004, including as a sergeant), who is currently working as a firefighter in Raleigh, North Carolina, gained national attention on March 4 when he disrupted a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing at the U.S. Capitol to protest U.S. military involvement in the ongoing war with Iran.
Dressed in his Marine uniform, McGinnis interrupted the proceedings by shouting phrases like “No one wants to fight for Israel,” “America does not want to send its sons and daughters to war for Israel,” and references to “Free Palestine.”
He was forcibly removed by Capitol Police officers, with Sheehy assisting in the ejection.
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
During the struggle, his arm (or hand) became trapped in a door, resulting in a broken bone. He received medical treatment afterward.
McGinnis faces multiple charges from U.S. Capitol Police, including three counts of assault on a police officer, three counts of resisting arrest, and unlawful demonstration (crowding, obstructing, and incommoding).
McGinnis’ X account features a Palestinian flag, and he often posts anti-war content. At one point, he reposted a satirical image of a Jew knocking down the Twin Towers in the 9/11 attacks.“I am on here to genuinely, from the heart, speak truth to power in order to free Palestine,” McGinnis stated in his X bio. “No anti semitism here, I am anti war and anti genocide.”
Protests are not permitted inside congressional hearing rooms.
Sheehy, a veteran Navy SEAL, said Capitol police were trying to remove an “unhinged protestor” who was “fighting back.”
“I decided to help out and deescalate the situation,” Sheehy said on X. “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.”
Since the incident, multiple videos have emerged showing McGinnis’ past political activity, waving a Palestinian flag in his dress blues and wearing a Palestinian headdress. He also claimed “mental trauma” from what he described as the “Gaza genocide.”
