Brian Mcginnis
McGinnis interrupted a Senate Armed Services hearing in March 2026, shouting "Nobody wants to fight for Israel!" and "Israel is the reason for this war!" before Capitol Police removed and arrested him. In 2024 he joined a flotilla attempting to carry aid into Gaza.
McGinnis is a Marine Corps veteran and firefighter running as the Green Party candidate for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina. His record on this question is made of actions rather than position papers.
In early March 2026 he stood up during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on military readiness and shouted at the panel. The two reports give different days, March 4 and March 5, so the card does not name one. Military.com and Medill on the Hill both reported it. Medill quotes him shouting "Israel is the reason for this war!", "This is wrong!" and "Nobody wants to fight for Israel!". Military.com does not quote him directly, reporting that he shouted statements including that Americans did not want to "fight and die for Israel". Capitol Police removed and arrested him on charges including assault on a police officer, resisting arrest and unlawful demonstration.
In 2024 he took part in the Freedom Flotilla Coalition's attempt to sail past the blockade and deliver humanitarian aid directly into Gaza. Hours after his release from jail on August 3, 2026 he spoke publicly again, opening with "Free Palestine" and saying the suffering of Palestinians gives him endless strength to keep campaigning against U.S. military policy.
His remarks drew criticism. He was named by an advocacy group that tracks antisemitism, and the Jerusalem Post covered the protest under its antisemitism section. Both are recorded on the research page as what the first search consulted; neither is a statement by him.
Research
Verification, 2026-08-12: a quotation on the card front that no source carried
The quoted-span gate ran over this store before the apply and flagged the quotations on this card. Both cited reports were then read in full and matched against the union of everything this card cites, rather than against the nearest link:
- **"Nobody wants to fight for Israel!" and "Israel is the reason for this war!": CONFIRMED VERBATIM.** Medill on the Hill, about 850 words, not paywalled, quotes both. It also quotes a third, "This is wrong!", which is now recorded here.
- **"America does not want to send its sons and daughters to war for Israel!": NOT IN ANY CITED SOURCE, and it was on the card front in quotation marks.** It is absent from the Medill report and absent from Military.com, which was also read in full at roughly 1,900 words and is not paywalled. Military.com does not quote him directly at all: it reports that he shouted statements including that Americans did not want to "fight and die for Israel". So a paraphrase in one source had become a verbatim exclamation attributed to him on a card front. It has been replaced with two sentences that are genuinely his.
- **The date is unsettled.** Medill dates the hearing Wednesday, March 5, 2026; Military.com gives March 4, 2026. The card now says early March 2026 and names neither.
Nothing here is deleted. The withdrawn sentence is recorded above so that a later pass can either find a source for it or leave it withdrawn.
The record as first written, kept
U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel
- 2026-03-04 [Current position; card-leading]: Interrupted a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on military readiness, shouting "America does not want to send its sons and daughters to war for Israel!" and "Nobody wants to fight for Israel!" before Capitol Police forcibly removed and arrested him. Reported by Military.com (2026-03-05) and Medill on the Hill (2026-03-05). Two independent source pages, both naming him, both dated.
- 2024 [Current position; year-only date]: Participated in the Freedom Flotilla Coalition's attempt to navigate past the blockade and deliver humanitarian aid directly to Gaza. The first search gives no month. The source page is his own campaign site and the Green Party candidate page.
- 2026-08-03 [Current position]: Hours after release from jail he delivered public remarks criticizing U.S. foreign policy and accusing American leadership of aligning with Israel against the wishes of the public. Roya News.
Characterization of the conflict
- 2026-03-04 [Current position]: During the same hearing disruption he shouted "Israel is the reason for this war!", blaming Israel for regional hostilities. Same two source pages as above.
- 2026-08-03 [Current position]: Opened his post-release speech with "Free Palestine" and said the suffering of the Palestinian people gives him "endless strength" for his activism against U.S. military policy. Roya News.
Rhetoric and lobbying
- Nothing separable from the actions above.
Safety and antisemitism (what others say about him, not his position)
- Undated: He is named in an advocacy group's antisemites-of-the-week listing. Retained as a source the first search consulted. This is a characterization of him by a campaigning organization, not a statement by him, and it is not on his card.
- 2026-03-06: The Jerusalem Post covered the hearing protest under its antisemitism section. A third independent report of the same event, filed under that framing.
Identity and ballot status
What came back empty or unusable
- No statement located on U.S. aid to Palestinians as a budget line, on UNRWA, or on arms-sale legislation specifically. His record is protest and direct action rather than policy text.
- A localcandidates.org page was consulted; the domain sits behind a security checkpoint and returns no content.
Also in this race: Shannon Bray (Libertarian), Roy Cooper (Democrat), Shaunesi Yvette Deberry (Independent), Michael Louis Jr. Dublin (Green), Michael Whatley (Republican) · All North Carolina candidates.
See the full record →But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. Every claim on this page goes through at least two verification steps. Open the interactive card for votes, funding and contact details.