MELTDOWN ON CAPITOL HILL: Ben & Jerry’s Co-Founder Arrested After Shouting Down RFK Jr. | WATCH
Ice cream mogul turned activist Ben Cohen was hauled out of a Senate hearing in zip ties after a fiery confrontation with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Cohen’s viral protest linked Gaza war funding to U.S. Medicaid cuts.
Ben Cohen, the 74-year-old co-founder of the iconic ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s, was arrested on Capitol Hill after he loudly confronted Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a Senate committee hearing.
The disruption occurred as RFK Jr. was testifying. Cohen stood up and shouted:
“Congress sent the bombs that kill children in Gaza and paid for them with cuts to Medicaid!”
His outburst was part of a protest against U.S. military aid to Israel and the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Video footage captured the moment Cohen was removed from the room by Capitol Police.
Cohen was one of seven protesters arrested during the hearing. He was charged with “crowding, obstructing, or incommoding” congressional proceedings, a common misdemeanor charge used for such disruptions.
Cohen has been politically active on progressive and left-wing causes for years. Ben & Jerry’s gained attention in 2021 when the company announced it would stop selling its products in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The Senate hearing focused on Health and Human Services policy, including budget issues. Protesters used the public session to voice opposition to U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.
Cohen was processed and released following his arrest, as is typical in these types of Capitol Hill protest cases.