Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett, who voted to oust McCarthy as Speaker, got into a heated altercation after a closed-door GOP meeting.
As McCarthy and Burchett were leaving the closed-door meeting, McCarthy reportedly bumped into the back of Burchett, to which the Tennessee Republican responded by saying “Hey Kevin, have some guts” and also called him a “jerk.”
“I was doing an interview with Claudia from NPR, a lovely lady and when she was asking me a question and at that time 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 was Kevin, and I, for me, that guy was kind of what the heck just happened and then I you know, I chased after him, of course, sees because I’ve stated many times he’s a, he’s a bully with $7 million and security detail,” Burchett said in an interview after the incident.
“You know, 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. And he just, you know, from behind, that kind of stuff that you know, it’s not the way we handle things in Tennessee, when we have a problem I’m gonna look him in the eye,” Burchett added. (RELATED: House Votes To Remove Kevin McCarthy As Speaker)
Tim Burchett describes the moment where he claims that Kevin McCarthy hit him from behind with a “clean shot to the kidney” in the halls of the Capitol after the GOP conference meeting. pic.twitter.com/lTyH6dM1cQ
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) November 14, 2023
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
AUDIO OF THE EXCHANGE HERE:
Audio of Tim Burchett’s exchange with Kevin McCarthy recorded by @cgrisales, who was interviewing Burchett for NPR when it happened https://t.co/RVjJTsFubp pic.twitter.com/K3j3gpJ0aq
— Aaron Fritschner (@Fritschner) November 14, 2023
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) speaks to reporters upon arrival to a House Republican Conference meeting on November 14, 2023 in Washington, DC. The House is working through a Continuing Resolution presented by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) to avoid a government shutdown on November 17. (Photo by Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)
“I was like, What the heck, you know, why did you do that? You know, because it was a like I said, if you haven’t been hitting the kidneys, it’s a little different,” Burchett continued. (RELATED: McCarthy Addresses Media After Being Ousted As Speaker, Says He Will Not Run Again)
Burchett was one of eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy as Speaker.
(This is a developing story. More information will be added as it becomes available.)