A tense moment during a Senate Armed Services Subcommittee hearing is spreading widely online after video showed Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) rushing to assist Capitol Police as they removed an anti-war Marine Corps veteran who interrupted the proceedings.
Footage of the confrontation—during which the veteran appeared to suffer a broken arm—has fueled heated backlash and debate online, with critics accusing the senator of escalating the situation, and supporters arguing that he helped officers regain control of the room.
Sen. Tim Sheehy tackles Marine veteran Brian McGinnis
Officers attempted to escort Marine Corps veteran and political candidate Brian McGinnis from the room on Wednesday after he interrupted an Armed Services subcommittee meeting.
The confrontation escalated when McGinnis, who is running for the Senate as a Green Party candidate, resisted removal. Footage suggested the struggle left him injured with a broken arm or wrist.
Before the incident, McGinnis posted a video on X explaining why he planned to protest inside the Capitol hearing room.
"Hey guys, I'm here in D.C. trying to speak out against the Senate and ask them why they're going to send our men and women into harm's way when our elected officials said that it would be no world war," McGinnis said in the video.
"Anybody who feels disillusioned and betrayed by our government, you're not alone. Join us in demanding accountability for this betrayal. Free Palestine, free America. Let's go."
Hours later, a video shared by CBS News reporter Alan He (@alanhe) showed Capitol Police officers attempting to remove him after he shouted, "No one wants to fight for Israel."
During the scuffle, McGinnis hooked one arm around the hearing room doorframe while officers tried to carry him out. Sheehy rushed forward and grabbed McGinnis’ lower leg.
Then the senator moved and grabbed McGinnis’s shoulder and arm, apparently trying to pull him free from the door. A distinct snap of breaking bone could be heard on the recording.
Injury claims and online reactions follow
Afterward, another clip showed McGinnis being escorted away while supporters said his arm was broken. Capitol Police later confirmed he received treatment for an injury but did not specify its nature.
In a statement, the Capitol Police said officers had to respond when the protest began inside the hearing room.
"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," the statement said.
Authorities also said three officers were treated for injuries. Meanwhile, McGinnis faced three counts of assaulting a police officer and three counts of "resisting arrest and crowding, obstructing, and incommoding for the unlawful demonstration," according to reporting from the Daily Montanan.
Sheehy reposted the video on his own social media account with a statement, calling the Marine veteran "unhinged."
Online reactions varied widely. Journalist Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) wrote, "This is lunatic behavior by Sheehy."
However, others praised the senator’s actions and painted McGinnis as "belligerent" and "aggressive."
Activist Medea Benjamin posted that McGinnis "stood up in Congress to say what millions of Americans are thinking," adding that security "dragged him out and broke his arm."
Others claimed that Sheehy was the one to break the veteran's arm, though the footage was unclear.
According to trackaipac.com, which tracks donations to American politicians from the pro-Israel lobby, Sheehy has accepted $641,337 from The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
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