Overview
- Rep. Anna Paulina Luna said a lead CODEPINK organizer touched her arm after a House hearing and that she will file criminal charges following the confrontation on Wednesday.
- Video provided to TMZ and published by outlets shows a woman identified by CODEPINK as co‑founder Medea Benjamin reaching out and making contact with Luna’s left elbow.
- Luna gave a statement to U.S. Capitol Police as the department declined to discuss any potential investigation for safety reasons.
- CODEPINK and Benjamin denied that an assault occurred, described the contact as a tap, and said Benjamin was released without charges after speaking with police.
- The encounter followed Luna’s questioning of Secretary of State Marco Rubio about CODEPINK’s alleged foreign funding ties, a broader dispute that has led Luna to ask the House speaker to bar the group from Capitol locations.