The Daily BS • Bo Snerdley Cuts Through It!
The Daily BS • Bo Snerdley Cuts Through It!

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Rick Scott turns tables on anti-Israel hecklers chasing him through Capitol

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BS BRIEFING:

  • Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) clashed with CodePink activists in a heated Capitol hallway confrontation, repeatedly defending Israel, condemning Hamas and arguing Iran cannot be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons. The exchange quickly spread across social media.
  • The confrontation comes as CodePink and its financial network face mounting federal scrutiny. Neville Roy Singham—the Shanghai-based Marxist technology millionaire married to CodePink co-founder Jodie Evans—is reportedly under federal grand jury investigation, while House Republicans continue probing organizations allegedly connected to his funding network.

RICK SCOTT FLIPS THE SCRIPT ON CODEPINK AS CAPITOL CONFRONTATION GOES VIRAL

Sen. Rick Scott didn’t duck. He didn’t hurry into an elevator. And he certainly didn’t apologize.

Instead, the Florida Republican stopped in the hallway and fired right back at a group of CodePink activists who surrounded him over his support for Israel, sanctions on Cuba and recent U.S. military action against Iran.

The exchange—captured on video by Fox News Digital—quickly turned into one of the latest viral Capitol confrontations.

One protester accused Israel of committing genocide.

Scott answered with a question.

“How about the Palestinians? Does it bother you what Hamas did?“

The activists kept pressing. Scott kept answering.

When CodePink co-founder Medea Benjamin demanded to know whether U.S. strikes against Iran had made America less safe, Scott rejected the premise entirely. “Oh, you’re back to wanting to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon. That’s where you are. You’re back to that part.” Benjamin insisted Scott’s support for Israel and continued pressure on Iran endangered Americans.

Later, the confrontation shifted to Cuba. Benjamin accused Scott of supporting sanctions that she claimed were harming Cuban children. “You are killing children in Cuba.” She argued the U.S. embargo was preventing oil from reaching the communist island.

Scott continued walking while engaging with the protesters, with both sides repeatedly interrupting one another as cameras rolled.

For longtime Capitol observers, scenes like this have become almost routine. CodePink has built its reputation on disrupting congressional hearings, confronting Republican lawmakers in hallways and staging demonstrations over Israel, Iran, Cuba and U.S. foreign policy.

But this latest confrontation unfolded against a dramatically different political backdrop. The organization itself is now under growing federal scrutiny.

Congressional Republicans have spent months examining allegations that CodePink and other activist organizations received funding through an extensive nonprofit network tied to Shanghai-based Marxist financier Neville Roy Singham. Singham, who sold his software company for hundreds of millions of dollars before relocating to China, is married to CodePink co-founder Jodie Evans.

Fox News Digital has reported that Singham’s network has directed roughly $278 million into a web of activist nonprofits since 2017, prompting questions from lawmakers about whether some organizations should have registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

Those questions have only intensified in recent weeks.

CBS News reported earlier this month that Singham is now the subject of a federal grand jury investigation examining possible violations of federal foreign-agent laws as well as potential tax-related offenses involving nonprofit organizations. Singham has denied wrongdoing through associates, and no criminal charges have been announced.

Meanwhile, House Republicans have escalated their own investigation. Last week, the House Ways and Means Committee subpoenaed three nonprofits linked to Singham’s broader network after committee members said the organizations failed to provide requested documents voluntarily.

Committee Chairman Jason Smith said investigators are examining questions involving foreign influence, tax-exempt organizations and alleged efforts to obscure funding sources. The organizations have argued the investigation infringes on their First Amendment rights and deny acting on behalf of any foreign government.

Scott himself has become one of CodePink’s most outspoken critics. Earlier this summer he urged the Trump administration to examine whether the group’s tax-exempt status should be revoked, arguing that its political activism and alleged ties to Singham were inconsistent with federal nonprofit rules. CodePink has rejected those accusations.

The hallway confrontation also highlighted the widening divide inside Washington over the Israel-Hamas war and Iran. Scott has consistently argued that Israel has the right to eliminate Hamas following the October 7 terrorist attacks and has supported maintaining sanctions against Cuba’s communist government. Benjamin and CodePink have demanded an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, opposed U.S. military operations targeting Iran and called for an end to sanctions on Cuba.

MY TAKE:

I have watched these hallway ambushes for years. The script rarely changes.

A politician walks by. An activist rushes over with a camera. Questions aren’t really questions. They’re accusations dressed up with question marks. The goal isn’t conversation. It’s content.

Credit to Rick Scott for understanding exactly what was happening.

He didn’t panic. He didn’t try to outrun the cameras. He answered back.

CodePink has every right to protest. That’s America. But when an organization repeatedly inserts itself into America’s foreign policy debates while lawmakers are simultaneously investigating allegations involving foreign influence and funding tied to a China-based Marxist financier, it’s reasonable to ask a few questions of the questioners.

Transparency shouldn’t be a one-way street. If you’re going to aggressively demand answers from elected officials, don’t be surprised when Americans begin demanding answers about your own organization.

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