A Senate Republican claimed he was attempting to "de-escalate" after video emerged of him helping police forcefully remove an anti-war Marine during a mid-hearing scuffle, leading to audible gasps as the man appeared to be injured.
Bystanders accused Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) of breaking the hand of Marine veteran and anti-war activist Brian McGinnis during a break in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Wednesday. McGinnis put his hand in a doorway to prevent Capitol Police from removing him from the room.
Video recorded by another anti-war activist showed Sheehy getting in on the melee, grabbing McGinnis and attempting to force him through the doorway.
"His hand! His hand! Oh!" one onlooker shouted.
"The senator broke his hand!" someone else exclaimed.
"A US Senator just broke the hand of a Marine," another member of the audience yelled. "A US Senator just broke the hand of a Marine; you're a coward."
Sheehy turned and walked away without successfully dislodging McGinnis.
"Yeah, go f--- yourself," someone muttered.
Sheehy responded to the incident on X calling the Marine "unhinged" and claiming he was merely trying to deescalate the situation.
"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. 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."
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