Florida Rep Luna seeks criminal charges after Capitol tap

A Florida congresswoman has announced she is pursuing criminal charges against an activist following a physical confrontation on Capitol Hill. Representative Anna Paulina Luna stated that Medea Benjamin, a co-founder of the anti-war group Code Pink, struck her in a hallway after a congressional hearing on Wednesday.

The incident occurred as Luna was leaving a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing where Secretary of State Marco Rubio was testifying. Luna said a group of Code Pink members followed her out of the Rayburn House Office Building, where Benjamin approached her. Video of the encounter published by TMZ shows Benjamin moving her hand toward Luna’s elbow. Luna is heard in the footage saying, “You just touched me. You’re going to walk away right now or else I’m going to call Capitol Police.”

Luna stated she was not injured but called the physical contact unacceptable. She said her staff witnessed the event and provided statements to law enforcement, and that multiple camera angles captured the incident. The U.S. Capitol Police, when contacted, said they could not discuss any potential investigations for safety reasons.

In a social media post, Luna linked the confrontation...