RE:RE:RE:“The fires are burning across a broad region, Former US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has allegedly assaulted one of the Republican colleagues who voted last month to oust him from his powerful position, leading to an ethics complaint from the ringleader of the internecine revolt.
The incident was said to have occurred on Tuesday, while Representative Tim Burchett was speaking with NPR reporter Claudia Grisales in a US Capitol hallway, following a closed-door meeting of GOP lawmakers. Burchett, a Tennessee Republican, said McCarthy elbowed him in the back as he walked behind him. Grisales said she saw McCarthy shove Burchett from behind, causing Burchett to lunge toward her.
Burchett can be heard reacting to the alleged jab in an audio clip of the incident. At one point, he followed McCarthy down the hallway and asked the ex-speaker why he hit him in the back. McCarthy denied elbowing him, at which point Burchett said, “You’ve got no guts. You did so … the reporter said it right there. What kind of chicken move is that? You’re pathetic, man.”
Burchett later told reporters that McCarthy was protected by his bodyguards after the painful jab, which he called a “clean shot to the kidneys.” He said he believes the incident was retribution for his decision to vote with seven other Republicans to remove McCarthy as speaker – the first such ouster in US history.
“A guy throws a rock over the fence when he was a kid and runs home and hides behind his momma’s skirt,” Burchett said. “He’s got his security detail around. He knows nobody’s gonna do anything to him.”