Marine veteran vows to stay in North Carolina's US Senate race after violent Capitol arrest
A Marine veteran and Green Party Senate candidate has vowed to continue his congressional campaign after he was forcibly thrown out of a Senate hearing this week by police.
Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., had assisted law enforcement in throwing Brian McGinnis out of the hearing following an outburst.
McGinnis, who is running for a U.S. Senate in North Carolina, was protesting U.S. military strikes against Iran when he was escorted out of Wednesday's hearing. He is running to replace outgoing Republican Sen. Tom Tillis.
"And for the record, I’ve been running long before this, and yes, even after breaking my arm standing up for what I believe in," McGinnis wrote on X. "It’s only made me more determined. Anger is real, and so is resolve. Take care."
McGinnis is among five candidates in the race, which includes former Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, both of whom won their respective primaries on Tuesday.
A video of McGinnis being forcibly thrown out of the hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building went viral. The footage shows U.S. Capitol Police grabbing the military veteran as he shouted, "No one wants to fight for Israel," while being pushed out of the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing room.
McGinnis, 44, who was dressed in a Marine Corps dress blue uniform, got his arm stuck in a door in an effort to resist being kicked out of the room, authorities said.
At one point, Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, joined police by grabbing McGinnis' legs to help carry him out.
"This afternoon, an unruly man who started to illegally protest during a hearing, put everyone in a dangerous position by violently resisting and fighting our officer’s attempts to remove him from the room," U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement. "Protests are not allowed inside the Congressional Buildings. There are plenty of other spots on Capitol Grounds, outside, where demonstrations are allowed."
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Three officers were treated for injuries, U.S. Capitol Police said.
McGinnis is facing three counts each of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest, and crowding, obstructing, and incommoding for the unlawful demonstration, a Capitol police spokesperson said.
In his own statement, Sheehy said officers were attempting to remove an unhinged protester from the room.
"He was fighting back. I decided to help out and deescalate the situation," he 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."
"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," he added.
In a post on X, Tillis thanked Sheehy for helping the police officers.