Capitol Hill was once again turned into a circus by left-wing activists Wednesday, when far-left agitator and Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen was forcibly removed from a Senate hearing with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Cohen, who has a long history of anti-American activism, decided his hatred of Israel and disregard for congressional order were more important than any honest debate about America’s healthcare. The liberal media, as always, gleefully played along, painting the incident as some sort of heroic resistance, rather than a blatant disruption of democracy and order.
The incident started before the hearing even began. Cohen, regularly featured in leftwing protests, appeared at a pro-Palestinian press conference outside the Capitol, backed by Democrat firebrand Rep. Rashida Tlaib. Displaying his ignorance of policy and preference for talking points, Cohen breathlessly declared, “Israel is ‘literally starving’ people in Gaza ‘to death’ by preventing them from accessing food, water and medicine.” It’s a line straight from the radical left playbook, repeated uncritically by the usual mainstream outlets and all but ignored for verification or context.
Once inside the hearing—a rare opportunity the public had to hear RFK Jr. discuss serious issues facing American health—a coordinated mob of anti-Israel activists disrupted the proceedings. True to form, Cohen couldn’t resist the lure of the spotlight. According to his own X (formerly Twitter) post, Cohen shouted, “You’re killing poor kids in Gaza and paying for it by cutting Medicaid for kids here!” His goal couldn’t have been clearer: grandstand, hijack the hearing, and paint American leadership as monstrous, all while flouting the rules of decorum and civil society.
As Cohen shouted and created a spectacle, a Capitol Police officer grabbed him by the arm and hustled him out of the room. NBC News’ Frank Thorp shared footage of two officers escorting the Ben & Jerry’s co-founder away, his fifteen minutes of leftwing fame complete. While most responsible news organizations would point out the illegality and disrespect of Cohen’s actions, the liberal press—Daily Caller, NBC, and others—rushed to lionize him. Little attention was paid to the serious work RFK Jr. was there to accomplish.
According to police reports cited by some outlets, seven individuals, including Cohen, were arrested for resisting arrest and assault of a police officer, with charges under 22-1307 for “Crowding, Obstructing, and Incommoding.” Naturally, accusations of police overreach and “silencing” were the immediate spin from leftwing online accounts, most of which Cohen gleefully reposted to his followers. The “resistance” narrative trumped any defense of public order or the right of Americans to hear their elected and appointed officials speak without interruption.
Outside on the Capitol lawn, the anti-Israel talking points were repeated without challenge or follow-up. “We will not look away, we will not be silenced, we will do everything we can to get our government to stop being complicit in starving little kids to death,” Cohen claimed, while introducing Tlaib, who demanded more “aid and food” into Gaza. Liberal media like The Epoch Times dutifully repeated the talking points, never acknowledging the day’s disruption or Cohen’s disregard for order.
Strikingly, the U.S. Capitol Police declined to respond to media requests on the day’s arrests and chaos. Liberal outlets, quick to condemn conservative demonstrations, seem happy to ignore real lawlessness when it comes from their side of the aisle and targets the likes of Kennedy—especially when it’s on behalf of their chosen “humanitarian” cause. There is no consistency; there is only power politics and spectacle in place of reasoned debate.
It’s increasingly clear that the intent of these disruptions is not democratic debate or accountability, but the complete sabotage of any good-faith policy discussion. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose presence at the hearing should have given the country much-needed clarity on health, was left to pick up the pieces as yet another liberal mob and their media apologists claimed another day’s headlines.
Direct transcript from the disruption: “You’re killing poor kids in Gaza and paying for it by cutting Medicaid for kids here!” – Ben Cohen, Senate HELP hearing interruption
“We will not look away, we will not be silenced, we will do everything we can to get our government to stop being complicit in starving little kids to death.” – Ben Cohen, pro-Palestinian press conference