Sen. John McCain all but told a particularly disruptive group of Code Pink protesters to get the hell out of his committee room Thursday.
Just prior to the start of a Senate Armed Services hearing, the infamous demonstrators practically shouted down the neck of witness Henry Kissinger, “Arrest Henry Kissinger for war crimes!” Kissinger served as Secretary of State under Presidents Nixon and Ford, and earned the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the U.S. withdrawal from the Vietnam War.
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The chanting went on for about a minute as McCain, the committee chairman, recessed the hearing and called for Capitol Police to control the situation. As attending officers directed the pests back to their seats, McCain got in a word.
“You know what,” he began, “I’d like to say to my colleagues and to our distinguished witnesses this morning that I have been a member of this committee for many years, and I have never seen anything as disgraceful and outrageous and despicable as the last demonstration that just took place.”
A protester then began to yell from his seat. McCain then became full-on agitated, though he managed to keep a cool temperament.
“You know, you’re going to have to shut up, or I’m going to have you arrested. If we can’t get the Capitol Hill police in here immediately — get out of here you lowlife scum,” McCain said as an officer began to escort the man from the hearing room.
A light round of applause — for a senatorial setting, virtually a raucous ovation — followed McCain’s remarks as the person exited.
Video via C-SPAN:
