Washington — Rep. Tim Burchett accused former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of elbowing him in the back in retaliation for voting to oust him from the role last month.
"Kevin McCarthy walked by and he elbowed me in the kidneys as he walked by," Burchett told reporters Tuesday. "Kind of caught me off guard."
The Tennessee Republican connected the alleged incident to his vote to remove McCarthy from the speakership last month after McCarthy depended on Democratic votes to avoid a government shutdown.
"Four hundred thirty-five of us. Eight of us voted against it," he said when asked whether the alleged elbowing could have been an accident. "And the chances of him walking beside me and giving me an elbow in the back? Come on."
An NPR reporter was interviewing Burchett at the Capitol after the GOP's conference meeting when the alleged incident occurred. The reporter, Claudia Grisales, said McCarthy shoved Burchett as he passed them in a hallway.
"I thought it was a joke, it was not. And a chase ensued," Grisales wrote.
Grisales said Burchett yelled, "Why'd you elbow me in the back, Kevin? Hey Kevin, you got any guts?"
Burchett revealed that he pursued McCarthy because he was unaware of the situation at hand.
He stated, "I noticed him scurrying away, so I decided to follow him," and expressed his belief that McCarthy's actions were intentional.
Upon confronting McCarthy, Burchett claimed that the California Republican feigned ignorance.
Burchett reportedly told McCarthy, "You lack courage... What kind of cowardly act is that? You're a pitiful man, truly pitiful."
Burchett referred to McCarthy as a "bully" and criticized him, stating, "He's simply not being truthful. Unfortunately, this incident will forever taint his career."
Burchett mentioned that he had no intention of taking any action against McCarthy and did not anticipate any response from the leadership.
CBS News has reached out to McCarthy's office for a comment.
Reporting by Ellis Kim.
