McCarthy Allegedly Shoves Fellow Republican in Front of NPR Reporter
Did former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy assault a member of the House Republican caucus?
National Public Radio congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales indicated that she witnessed McCarthy forcefully elbow Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett on Tuesday.
Grisales described a bizarre and unprofessional altercation after a meeting of the GOP’s House caucus, in which McCarthy allegedly executed a cheap shot on Burchett as he was facing away from him.
Have NEVER seen this on Capitol Hill:
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…
— Claudia Grisales (@cgrisales) November 14, 2023
Burchett was one of the eight Republicans who successfully voted to vacate McCarthy from the speaker’s office last month, according to The Washington Post.
Burchett pursued McCarthy after the alleged cheap shot — verbally challenging the former Republican leader, according to social media posts by Grisales.
“Why’d you elbow me in the back, Kevin?!” Burchett was reported as saying in an X post by Grisales.
“Hey Kevin, you got any guts!?”
Burchett’s back was to McCarthy and his detail walking by in the hallway, then the lunge.
Burchett responded jokingly as McCarthy kept walking, “Sorry Kevin didn’t mean to elbow –” then seriously yelled, “why’d you elbow me in the back Kevin?! Hey Kevin, you got any guts!?”
— Claudia Grisales (@cgrisales) November 14, 2023
McCarthy reportedly went on to deny that he had shoved Burchett later in the confrontation.
@RepTimBurchett yelled after catching up to McCarthy, “Hey Kevin, why’d you walk behind me and elbow me in the back?”
KM: “I didn’t elbow you in the back.”
Burchett: “You got no guts, you did so, …the reporter said it right there, what kind of chicken move is that…”
— Claudia Grisales (@cgrisales) November 14, 2023
The sequence of events then led Burchett to allegedly brand McCarthy a “pathetic man,” according to Grisales.
Burchett con’t: “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 starts to walk away from McCarthy, tells me, “What a jerk,” and then yells back, “You need security Kevin!”
— Claudia Grisales (@cgrisales) November 14, 2023
The row was the Tennessee representative’s first interaction with McCarthy after his termination as speaker, according to the Burchett.
Burchett reiterates he hasn’t talked to McCarthy since he voted against him.
“No, no that was it. That’s it. He’s got $17 million to work against me. And he’s just a — he should have kept his word. I think that just showed what he’s about and it’s unfortunate.”
— Claudia Grisales (@cgrisales) November 14, 2023
McCarthy’s 269-day tenure as Speaker was the shortest in 140 years, according to CNN.
The Californian has the distinction of being the first Speaker of the House to be removed from office in American history, according to Roll Call.
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