Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain wants U.S. Capitol Police to pursue charges against protesters who accosted former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at a hearing Thursday.
As the protesters from the group Code Pink chanted “arrest Henry Kissinger for war crimes” and waved a pair of handcuffs in the 91-year-old’s face, former Secretary of State George Shultz, who was also called to testify, confronted them, and several senators, including Republicans Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Joni Ernst of Iowa, came down from the podium to assist. Capitol Police, meanwhile, did not intervene to stop the protests.
“You’re going to have to shut up or I’m going to have you arrested,” McCain told them, then added: “Get out of here, you low-life scum.”
Code Pink protesters are a common feature at Armed Services hearings in both chambers, but McCain said Thursday’s protest was beyond the limits of what was acceptable.
“In my 32 years in the House and Senate, I have never witnessed this kind of physical intimidation of a witness at a congressional hearing,” the Arizona Republican said. “No American citizen testifying before the U.S. Congress should be subjected to such treatment, particularly not a 91-year-old former Secretary of State who has served our nation with great honor and distinction.”
McCain apologized to Kissinger for the treatment and later said he had discussed the incident with Rules Committee Chairman Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and the Capitol Police “and expect that those responsible will be held fully accountable for their actions.”
