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“I’m stunned”: Reporter watches Republican chase Kevin McCarthy in Capitol for throwing an “elbow”

Rep. Tim Burchett, who voted to oust the former speaker, accused McCarthy of elbowing him in the kidneys in hallway

Staff Reporter

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Former U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) leaves a House Republican conference meeting in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill on October 24, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Former U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) leaves a House Republican conference meeting in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill on October 24, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., on Tuesday accused former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., of elbowing him and chased him through a Capitol hallway. NPR reporter Claudia Grisales tweeted that she has "NEVER seen this on Capitol Hill," recounting how McCarthy "shoved" Burchett while she was interviewing him. Burchett shouted at McCarthy and a "chase ensued." McCarthy denied that he had elbowed him. "You got no guts, you did so, … the reporter said it right there, what kind of chicken move is that," Grisales recalled Burchett shouting. "Did you see that?" Burchett asked the reporter afterward, who admitted "I'm stunned too."

"I ran after McCarthy and I said, 'What'd you do that for?' He acted like, 'Oh, I didn't do anything,'" Burchett later told Politico, which added that the Republican called McCarthy a "jerk" after the incident. “He needs to go back to Southern California," Burchett told reporters, later adding: “I can still feel it … It was a clean shot to the kidney.” McCarthy, meanwhile, denied Burchett's claim. “I didn’t shove or elbow him, it’s a tight hallway," McCarthy told CNN.

By Tatyana Tandanpolie

Tatyana Tandanpolie is a staff reporter at Salon. Born and raised in central Ohio, she moved to New York City in 2018 to pursue degrees in Journalism and Africana Studies at New York University. She is currently based in her home state and has previously written for local Columbus publications, including Columbus Monthly, CityScene Magazine and The Columbus Dispatch.


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