On Tuesday, allegations surfaced against Kevin McCarthy, the former House Speaker, accusing him of elbowing one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust him from the leadership position last month. Representative Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) claimed that McCarthy (R-Calif.) delivered a forceful blow to his kidneys as they crossed paths after a House Republican conference meeting.
During the incident, NPR reporter Claudia Grisales, who was speaking with Burchett, described how the impact nearly sent the 59-year-old Tennessee representative colliding into her. Burchett, addressing McCarthy, shouted, “Why’d you elbow me in the back, Kevin? Hey Kevin, you got any guts!?”
Following the accusation, Burchett pursued McCarthy, who denied any wrongdoing. According to Grisales, McCarthy retorted, “I didn’t elbow you in the back. You got no guts, you did so … the reporter said it right there, what kind of chicken move is that?” Burchett responded, calling McCarthy “pathetic” and adding, “You’re a bully with $17 million and a security detail.”
In a subsequent interview with CNN, Burchett expressed doubt about filing an ethics complaint, stating, “I’m probably not going to do an ethics complaint on him. He’s not worth it.” Burchett, along with seven other Republicans and 208 Democrats, united to declare the speakership vacant on October 3, initiating a three-week battle for the gavel that concluded with the election of Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.).
