By Annie Grayer and Melanie Zanona | CNN
GOP Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee accused former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of elbowing him in the back Tuesday morning while Burchett was talking to a reporter, the latest sign of how tense the dynamics are in the House GOP conference.
Burchett, who was one of the eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy, has been heavily critical of the former speaker and the alleged altercation is the latest sign of the pressure cooker dynamics in the House GOP right now.
Burchett criticized McCarthy for being a “bully” as he described his altercation with the former House GOP leader where he says McCarthy elbowed him in the kidneys while he was talking to a reporter this morning in the hallway outside the GOP conference meeting.
“I got elbowed in the back and it kind of caught me off guard because it was a clean shot to the kidneys. And I turned back (and) there, there was Kevin, and for a minute I was kind of what the heck just happened and then chased after him of course,” Burchett told CNN’s Manu Raju, adding, “Now he’s the type of guy that when you’re a kid would throw a rock over the fence and run home and hide behind his mamas skirt.”
Burchett said that he went after the former speaker to confront him about the altercation but said McCarthy brushed him off. He added that he “raised his voice” and that McCarthy responded back to him with “that high pitched kind of thing.”
“Of course, as he always … does, he just denies it or blames somebody else or something. And and it was just a little heated. But I just backed off because – I saw no reason. I wasn’t gaining anything from it. Everybody saw it. So it didn’t really matter,” he told CNN.
McCarthy repeatedly denied the incident to CNN, saying, “I didn’t shove or elbow him. It’s a tight hallway.”
In a lengthy gaggle later Tuesday, McCarthy again denied he hit Burchett.
“If I hit somebody, they would know it,” he said. “If I kidney punched someone, they would be on the ground.”
When asked about McCarthy’s denials and his claim that the hallway was tight and it was an accident, Burchett said it wasn’t a serious explanation.
“There’s 435 congressmen, I was one of the eight that voted against him. That hallway was – there’s plenty of room, you could walk four side by side. He chose to do what he did. And you know, it’ll end right here. I’m sure it’ll just be a little asterix on his storied career,” he said.
The Tennessee Republican also accused the former speaker of using his substantial campaign war chest to interfere in members’ races and that he believes McCarthy – who has not yet said whether he will stay in Congress – will be gone by the next Congress.
“He’s already messing in everybody’s races and we all know that,” Burchett said.
The relationship between the two Republican lawmakers has gotten tense in recent weeks. McCarthy told CNN he was surprised by Burchett’s vote to oust him last month. In the lead-up to the vote, Burchett said that McCarthy was condescending about the Tennessee Republican’s statement that he was praying about whether to vote to oust McCarthy.
Tuesday’s incident comes as tensions are at an all-time high in the House, with members having been in session for ten straight weeks.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said at his news conference on Tuesday that the Thanksgiving break would allow members to return home and “cool off.”
In a sign that some of McCarthy’s critics want to escalate the issue, GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida is filing a formal ethics complaint against McCarthy over the alleged altercation with Burchett, according to a copy of the document obtained by CNN.
Gaetz – who has been one of McCarthy’s chief antagonists and led the push to oust him as speaker – did not witness the interaction, but anyone can file a complaint to the House Ethics Committee. Burchett, however, said he did not plan to file a complaint, but Gaetz said they still have a “duty to investigate” and accused McCarthy of violating the members code of conduct.
Gaetz was also among the eight Republicans who voted remove McCarthy as speaker, and McCarthy recently unloaded on the group in an interview with CNN, with McCarthy especially singling out Gaetz and noting Gaetz is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee. Now, Gaetz is elevating their feud even further with this latest complaint.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Haley Talbot, Manu Raju and Sam Fossum contributed to this report.