NPR’s Claudia Grisales first tweeted out the details of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy hitting Rep. Tim Burchett from behind, and now, Burchett confirmed the incident with CNN’s Manu Raju. Republicans are hitting each other, you guys.
“Well, I was doing an interview with Claudia from NPR, a lovely lady, and when she was asking me a question at the time, I got elbowed in the back, and it kind of caught me off guard ’cause it was a clean shot to the kidneys,” he explained. “And I turned back, and there was Kevin.”
“For a minute, I was – what the heck just happened – and then I chased after him, of course. As I’ve stated many times, he’s a bully with $17 million and a security detail,” he added. “You know, he’s the type of guy that when you were a kid would throw a rock over the fence and then run home and hide behind his momma’s skirt.”
A chase ensued.
Burchett then looked back at me and said, “jerk” referring to McCarthy. I asked if he had done that before, Burchett said “no.”
That’s when the chase ensued. Burchett took off after McCarthy and his detail. I chased behind with my mic.
— Claudia Grisales (@cgrisales) November 14, 2023
McCarthy then denied doing that thing everyone saw him do:
@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
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
Burchett explained to Grisales that that was the first point of “communication” with McCarthy since Burchett voted for McCarthy’s ouster as speaker last month. So, for any Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy, but haven’t spoken to him yet, watch your back. He’s somewhere out there hiding in the bushes, waiting to pounce.
YOU HAVE NOT HEARD OR SEEN THE LAST OF KEVIN!
