Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's announcement of a new anti-corruption proposal was interrupted Thursday when an activist disrupted the event with accusations related to Israel before being escorted from the room.
According to The New York Post, the incident unfolded as Schumer introduced legislation that would establish a new federal agency called the Anti-Corruption Bureau during an event hosted with the Public Citizen Foundation at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
The protester, identified as activist Sam Husseini, repeatedly interrupted Schumer's remarks by accusing the New York Democrat of supporting Israel's military actions in Gaza.
Husseini shouted criticism at the senator and questioned the purpose of the event before continuing his remarks despite efforts to move the program forward.
Schumer briefly responded after the interruption.
"Thank you for your diatribe," the senator said. "Now, let's continue … the people didn't come to hear you."
Staff members then approached Husseini and escorted him from the room. As he was being removed, he continued shouting accusations directed at Schumer.
According to reports, Husseini has disrupted other high-profile public events in recent years. He previously interrupted a press conference held by then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken, where he protested U.S. policy regarding the Middle East before being removed.
A congressional staffer at Thursday's event also referenced Husseini's history of disruptions while speaking to reporters.
Despite the interruption, Schumer continued outlining his proposal after order was restored.
The legislation would create the Anti-Corruption Bureau by combining the Office of Government Ethics, the Federal Election Commission and the Office of Special Counsel into a single independent agency.
Under the proposal, the new bureau would have expanded investigative authority, including subpoena powers, and would be overseen by a seven-member board.
The legislation specifies that no more than three members could belong to the same political party.
Schumer said the proposal is aimed at strengthening oversight of the federal government and increasing accountability for top elected officials and executive branch employees.
The bill would also tighten ethics and anti-corruption rules covering presidents, vice presidents, senior administration officials and members of their families.
The legislation has been introduced in the Senate, though its prospects remain uncertain as lawmakers continue debating broader government ethics and oversight reforms.