Rep. Anna Paulina Luna says she was walking away from a CODEPINK activist outside the Capitol when she was smacked, and she’s predicting an arrest

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is calling for criminal charges after she says a member of the anti-war organization CODEPINK physically struck her on Capitol Hill. As detailed by TMZ, the alleged incident occurred on Wednesday, shortly after the Florida congresswoman questioned Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a congressional hearing about the group’s alleged foreign funding ties. Luna believes the confrontation was a direct result of that line of questioning.

According to Luna, the encounter began as she was leaving the Rayburn House Office Building, where she says she was surrounded by members of the group before being struck. “I was literally walking, trying to walk away from this person, and they smacked me,” she said. She confirmed she was not injured but was firm that physical contact is unacceptable regardless of political disagreement. “You don’t touch anyone, especially if you don’t like what they’re saying. You cannot physically harm someone,” she said.

Luna has provided a statement to law enforcement and expressed confidence that an arrest is imminent, saying she believes investigators have gathered sufficient witness accounts and video footage. U.S. Capitol Police, when reached for comment, stated only that they cannot discuss potential investigations for safety reasons.

The confrontation comes as federal scrutiny of CODEPINK intensifies

The incident is unfolding against a backdrop of increasing federal attention toward the organization. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has recently launched an inquiry into CODEPINK over a trip to Cuba that took place in March 2026. As confirmed by Fox News, co-founder Medea Benjamin acknowledged receiving what she described as an administrative subpoena requiring detailed information about the trip’s logistics, participants, and financial activities. The trip involved approximately 170 participants and $600,000 in aid.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has indicated that the administration is prioritizing a broader effort to ensure nonprofits are not facilitating unlawful activity or political violence. Under new federal guidelines, the IRS is expected to demand that nonprofits maintain better oversight of their grant recipients, with Bessent noting that organizations whose grant recipients engage in violence or rights suppression bear responsibility for those actions.

Luna has been a vocal figure on Capitol Hill on issues of this kind, including her prior criticism of a Republican colleague’s remarks that drew attention to her willingness to push back across party lines. Benjamin publicly described the inquiry as an “intimidation tactic,” though she acknowledged the volume of information requested is extensive, covering minute-by-minute details of participants’ activities in Cuba.

She maintained that the group intends to continue its humanitarian work. The inquiry is part of a wider federal push to ensure compliance with sanctions laws, amid growing government scrutiny of activist organizations and the flow of money into protest networks. Federal investigators are also examining the broader funding sources of groups that participate in street demonstrations and political protests.

Luna is pushing for legal accountability over the alleged strike and has made clear she intends to pursue the matter through proper legal channels.