Republican Infighting Intensifies Amid Kevin McCarthy Accusations of Assaulting Rep. Tim Burchett, Matt Gaetz Demand
Tensions among House Republicans have boiled over as an altercation between former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California and Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee broke out, with the latter accusing the former of elbowing him as he was getting interviewed. Meanwhile, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, McCarthy's archnemesis in the House, is now calling for a House Ethics Committee investigation over this altercation.
That interview was being conducted by NPR, which reported that while its reporter, Claudia Grisales, was speaking with Burchett, McCarthy shoved past him, making the Tennessee Republican stumble forward. This led Burchett to start yelling at McCarthy, telling him, "Why'd you elbow me in the back, Kevin?! Hey Kevin, you got any guts?!" before calling the former speaker a "jerk" and chasing him down the Capitol hallway.
Burchett finally caught up to McCarthy and confronted him, asking, "What kind of chicken move is that? You're pathetic, man. You are so pathetic."
Burchett told NPR that this was the first time he had spoken to McCarthy after he helped oust the California Republican from the House Speakership, adding, "He should have kept his word. I think that just showed what he's about and it's unfortunate."
However, McCarthy denied elbowing Burchett during a separate interview, saying that it was a "tight hall." This issue has now further divided Republicans as many Representatives and Senators have been hampered by infighting, with open feuds such as the one happening between Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, as well as the one between George Santos of New York and his fellow New York Republicans, currently happening and furthering the divide.
Matt Gaetz Wants House Ethics Committee To Investigate Kevin McCarthy Over Tim Burchett Altercation
Meanwhile, far-right MAGA Republican Matt Gaetz, who was the one who brought up ousting Kevin McCarthy in the first place, says he is filing an ethics complaint against his archnemesis in the House.
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According to Axios, the controversial Florida Republican wrote a letter to House Ethics Chair Michael Guest of Florida and Pennsylvania Democrat and Ranking Member Susan Wild on Tuesday regarding the altercation between McCarthy and Burchett.
In that letter, In that letter, Gaetz said that McCarthy's actions in elbowing Burchett in the back "deserves immediate and swift investigation by the Ethics Committee" and added that "This Congress has seen a substantial increase in breaches of decorum unlike anything we have seen since the pre-Civil War era."
Kevin McCarthy Says Matt Gaetz Has a Personal Vendetta Against Him Over Sex Trafficking Probe
Gaetz has been a thorn in Kevin McCarthy's side ever since his first attempt to become House Speaker was blocked by Gaetz and his MAGA allies. However, if Kevin McCarthy was asked how this feud began, he says it was because of the House Ethics Committee investigation into Gaetz's involvement in sex trafficking minors.
The DOJ dropped charges against Gaetz in February, but the House Ethics probe against him was still not dropped, and Gaetz is blaming McCarthy for it., according to CNBC.
"He's blaming me for an ethics complaint against him that happened in the last Congress," said the California Republican. "I have nothing to do with it."
"He wants me to try to wipe that away," and then stated, "I'm not going to do that. That's illegal."
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Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: Kevin McCarthy GETS SERVED with DEVASTATING Ethics Complaint by...MATT GAETZ - MeidasTouch