Sen. Jim Risch, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, kicked off a hearing last week with a warning for those in attendance.
“We have zero tolerance on any kind of protests, on any kind of attempt by anyone to contact, influence or in any way communicate with either the witness or people that are here on the dais,” he said.
Minutes later, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio was testifying, a demonstrator stood at the back of the room and started shouting about the war in Gaza. Capitol Police officers rushed to respond, physically lifting her into the air and carrying her out as she kicked and yelled. Police also reacted quickly to other protesters during the same hearing, pushing an older man and a woman out of the room.