Kevin McCarthy Allegedly Elbowed a Congressman in the Back
Tim Burchett, a Republican, had voted to oust the former speaker.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy allegedly shoved one of his political adversaries, Republican Representative Tim Burchett of Tennessee, sparking a brief altercation witnessed by a reporter at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.
Have NEVER seen this on Capitol Hill:
— Claudia Grisales (@cgrisales) November 14, 2023
While talking to @RepTimBurchett after the GOP conference meeting, former @SpeakerMcCarthy walked by with his detail and McCarthy shoved Burchett. Burchett lunged towards me. I thought it was a joke, it was not. And a chase ensued...
NPR reporter Claudia Grisales wrote on X that Burchett was speaking to her when McCarthy passed by with his detail and elbowed Burchett, who had his back to the former speaker. Per Grisales’s account, Burchett then yelled, “Why’d you elbow me in the back, Kevin? Hey Kevin, you got any guts?” and proceeded to pursue McCarthy down the hall, with the reporter following behind.
Burchett eventually caught up with McCarthy and repeated his question, but McCarthy denied hitting him.
“You got no guts, you did so … The reporter said it right there. What kind of chicken move is that? You’re pathetic, man. You are so pathetic,” Burchett reportedly said.
Burchett confirmed that the incident occurred in an interview with CNN, saying that McCarthy delivered a “clean shot to the kidneys,” which he characterized as a sucker punch.
“He’s a bully with $17 million dollars and a security detail. He’s the type of guy when you’re a kid would throw a rock over the fence and run home and hide behind his mama’s skirt,” he said.
News -- Rep. Tim Burchett accuses Kevin McCarthy of a "sucker punch" to the kidneys and describes heated scene as he chased the former speaker down the hallway.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 14, 2023
Said he's the type of the guy who as a kid would "hide behind his mama's skirt."
McCarthy denies it was intentional pic.twitter.com/fBvOUxMb5z
Recent animus between McCarthy and Burchett has been well-documented. Burchett was one of the eight Republican members to vote to remove McCarthy as Speaker of the House, a move he says was in response to a “condescending” remark from McCarthy regarding his faith after Burchett, a devout Christian, indicated that he would be praying about his ultimate decision on House leadership.
“When I make a statement that I’m praying about it, I am praying about it, and when I get a call from the speaker and he belittles that, to me, that shows another reason why we need a change in leadership,” Burchett told reporters prior to the vote, per CNN.
McCarthy, for his part, claims he had no intention of maligning Burchett’s faith. “I simply read his quote back. I thought there was still an opening and I wanted to talk to him about it,” he said, according to The Hill.
The former speaker’s tone changed after the successful vote to oust him, with McCarthy taking aim at his eight detractors.
“They care a lot about press, not about policy, and so they seem to just want the press and the personality,” he said.