Incident Involving Rep. Anna Paulina Luna
On Wednesday, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida, accused a left-leaning activist of assaulting her during a confrontation. The altercation involved Mehdi Benjamin, a co-founder of CODEPINK, who, according to Luna, lightly punched her arm while they debated foreign policy.
Luna asserted that following her questioning of Secretary Rubio regarding CODEPINK’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party, Benjamin assaulted her. She stated that her staff was present during the incident and documented it for official records. “They denounced me and their head organizer here in D.C. struck me,” she claimed.
Luna’s office opted not to comment on the situation when approached for a response.
“By the way, these are not ‘claims’. It happened. My staff was there writing a statement for LEO when it happened.” – Rep. Anna Paulina Luna
During a Foreign Affairs Committee meeting, Luna questioned Secretary Rubio about CODEPINK’s foreign financial connections, alleging substantial donations from Neville Roy Singham, an American billionaire residing in China known for supporting leftist initiatives. Rubio acknowledged the link between the Chinese Communist Party and funding for left-wing groups in the U.S.
After the hearing, Benjamin criticized Luna, asserting that Rubio was harming the Cuban people. He then seemingly tapped her arm while inquiring, “When was the last time you went to Cuba?”
Luna later told TMZ that Benjamin’s actions were an attempt to hinder her voting rights. “I was literally walking away from this person and they hit me,” she explained, emphasizing that physical contact is unacceptable regardless of differing opinions.
“Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna reveals she was allegedly assaulted during a protest at the Capitol.” – TMZ
Luna also reached out to House Speaker Mike Johnson, urging him to take action against CODEPINK. She stated, “I was just physically assaulted by CODEPINK’s organizer. It’s time for Speaker Johnson to ban CODEPINK.”
In response, CODEPINK released a statement denying any physical aggression, claiming, “No one hit her. Instead of addressing her support for various war crimes, this congresswoman continues to misrepresent activists.”
“No one hit her. This AIPAC-funded congressman continues to lie about activists.” – CODEPINK
Luna retorted that CODEPINK had breached personal boundaries and suggested that further physical interaction would not be tolerated.
