U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna reported a CODEPINK activist to Capitol Police on Thursday after saying the woman touched her arm as she left a House hearing, turning a sidewalk exchange on Capitol Hill into a law-enforcement complaint. Luna said she had already given a statement to police and that she planned to file charges.
The Florida Republican said the encounter came after a meeting of the House West Hemisphere Subcommittee, where she said she had questioned Secretary of State Marco Rubio about CODEPINK and its ties to the Chinese Communist Party. In a post, Luna said the group followed her out, berated her and that its “head person here in DC” smacked her. She also wrote, “I will be filing charges.”
CODEPINK’s video on X appears to show co-founder Medea Benjamin walking behind Luna after the meeting and touching her arm as the two moved and talked. Luna said, “Wait, you just touched me,” and then warned, “You are going to walk away right now and I am going to call Capitol Police.”
The dispute quickly became more than a question of rough contact. CODEPINK replied, “Nobody hit her,” and added, “Instead of answering for the war crimes she supports, this AIPAC-funded congresswoman continues to lie about activists.” Benjamin’s appearance in the clip and Luna’s account of being “smacked” on the arm sit at the center of a clash that was already charged by the politics around war and protest.
The same day, the House passed a war powers resolution calling for a wind down of military operations in Iran, a measure CODEPINK supported and Luna, along with most House Republicans, opposed. Luna later said, “The head honcho of Code Pink here on Capitol Hill decided to try to harass me as I was leaving my hearing with Rubio and smacked my arm,” and added, “I have no issues answering questions but the moment you touch me you cross a line.”
What happens next now depends on whether Capitol Police or prosecutors act on the complaint. For Luna, the incident has already become a test of where protest ends and assault begins on a campus where both happen in plain view.
