Tom Cotton slams activist group after agitator escorted out of intel hearing

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on Tuesday targeted activist group Code Pink after Capitol police removed an anti-Israel agitator from a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The senator opened the hearing by warning that those in attendance by acknowledging the large audience. He warned those attending that the committee would not accept any disruptions.

“We will not tolerate any disruptions of the witnesses testimony or the senators’ questions and the witnesses’ answers,” he said. “Any disruptions, either opposed or in favor to the witnesses will result in prompt removal from the hearing room.”

“My encouragement to the U.S. attorney is to throw the book at the person disrupting the hearing,” he added. “No offense, but we all came to hear the witnesses and no one else in the room.”

Despite this warning, an anti-Israel agitator interrupted testimony by FBI Director Kash Patel by calling out slogans such as “stop funding Israel.” Capitol police removed that individual from the hearing.

“That protestor was a Code Pink lunatic saying the greatest threat to world peace is funding Israel,” Sen. Cotton said, in reference to the anti-war protest group. “I will observe for the benefit of the audience here on television that Code Pink is funded by communist China as well— speak up now if you want to be removed, whoever is saying that.”

Capitol police then escorted out a second agitator dressed in pink who began shouting.

“If anyone else would like to join them, speak now please so we don’t have any more disruptions,” the senator said.

Code Pink is responsible for a messaging campaign which claims “China is not our enemy.” The New York Times in 2023 reported it receives significant funding from an American billionaire who “works closely with the Chinese government media machine and is financing its propaganda worldwide.”

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