GOP Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee accused former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of elbowing him in the kidneys Tuesday morning while Burchett was talking to a reporter, the latest sign of how tense the dynamics are in the House GOP conference.
Burchett, who was one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy, has been heavily critical of the former speaker and the alleged altercation is indicative of the pressure cooker dynamics in the House GOP right now.
Burchett criticized McCarthy for being a “bully” as he described his altercation with the former House GOP leader where he says McCarthy elbowed him in the kidneys while he was talking to a reporter in the hallway outside the GOP conference meeting.
“I got elbowed in the back and it kind of caught me off guard because it was a clean shot to the kidneys. And I turned back (and) there, there was Kevin, and for a minute I was kind of, what the heck just happened and then chased after him of course,” Burchett said, adding, “Now he’s the type of guy that when you’re a kid would throw a rock over the fence and run home and hide behind his mama’s skirt.”
Burchett said that he went after the former speaker to confront him about the altercation but said McCarthy brushed him off. He added that he “raised his voice” and that McCarthy responded to him with “that high pitched kind of thing.”
“Of course, as he always … does, he just denies it or blames somebody else or something. And and it was just a little heated. But I just backed off because – I saw no reason. I wasn’t gaining anything from it. Everybody saw it. So it didn’t really matter,” he stated.
McCarthy repeatedly denied the incident, saying, “I didn’t shove or elbow him. It’s a tight hallway.” In a lengthy gaggle later Tuesday, McCarthy again denied he hit Burchett. “If I hit somebody, they would know it,” he said. “If I kidney punched someone, they would be on the ground.”
Tensions are high across Capitol Hill. On the Senate side, Oklahoma GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin challenged a witness before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to a physical fight on Tuesday. Chairman Bernie Sanders quickly put a stop to it, admonishing Mullin and reminding him that he’s a United States senator and not a cage match participant. The Vermont independent later said the exchange was “pretty pathetic” and drew attention away from the Senate hearing, which focused on labor unions’ efforts.
When asked about McCarthy’s denials and his claim that the hallway was tight and it was an accident, Burchett said it wasn’t a serious explanation. “There’s 435 congressmen, I was one of the eight that voted against him. That hallway was – there’s plenty of room, you could walk four side by side. He chose to do what he did. And you know, it’ll end right here. I’m sure it’ll just be a little asterisk on his storied career,” he said.
The Tennessee Republican continued later Tuesday to push back on McCarthy’s claim that the incident was an accident, saying: “First [McCarthy] said it didn’t happen. And then he said, he just brushed into me. And then he said the hall was crowded. And then the last thing he said was, if he had hit him, he’d have known it. So take your pick, it doesn’t matter. I don’t really care because he has a history of, in my opinion, of this kind of activity. And it just shows exactly why he doesn’t need to be speaker.”
Burchett also said he was still in “a little bit” of pain. “A little bit yeah, I mean, it was just a clean shot to the kidneys and that’s all it was. And it was no big deal, and I’ve had worse,” he said, adding he is not seeking medical care.
“I’m not going to seek medical attention. And I’m not going to seek an attorney. I’m not going to seek an ethics validation. I could care less,” he said.
Burchett said he would forgive McCarthy if he called him, but he doubted that would happen. He said he prayed for McCarthy, who he accused of being a bully and a meddler in other members’ races.
He added that he was surprised by McCarthy’s reaction to his vote to oust him as speaker, and that he felt McCarthy was disrespectful to his faith. He said McCarthy would not be in the House by the next Congress.
The incident added to the high tensions in the House, where members have been working for 10 weeks straight. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the Thanksgiving break would help them cool off.
Meanwhile, GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz filed an ethics complaint against McCarthy over the altercation, even though he did not witness it. Gaetz, who led the effort to remove McCarthy as speaker, said McCarthy violated the members’ code of conduct. McCarthy dismissed Gaetz, who is under ethics investigation himself.
