Originally Published: November 14, 2023 6:44 p.m.
Look, I get it, the recess bell hasn't rang in 10 weeks. The tryptophan nap in your dad's Lazy Boy and the football pickup game down the street is calling your name.
But keep it together for a few more days, boys.
Tuesday's Republican Male Scuffles were miles from the legendary caning of Senator Charles Sumner, but the machismo was strong and tensions were high as Congress averted the latest shutdown threat — by coating "two-tiered" scheduling paint on top of the same kind of CR that got McCarthy ousted last time. Whether it be agita over the CR or having to work 10 weeks straight (try to imagine the horror, my fellow Americans), Republicans today took that stress out on each other.
I will start with the most "serious" of the "altercations" that broke out in Congress today and unpack them in "descending" order.
McCarthy's Elbow Accidentally Bumped Someone
Alright, bear with me as I attempt to regale you with what TPM reporter Kate Riga told me from the scene of the errant elbow move that was upgraded into a full blown "kidney punch" by the end of the day.
Kate was in the House basement early Tuesday afternoon when Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) yelled at Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) before chasing after him in the very tight hallway. Via messages on Slack, Kate told David Kurtz and me that, though she was steps away from the drama, she couldn't quite tell what started the fight. Probably because it was a nearly undetectable arm movement.
Here's what she reported in today's liveblog:
It seems that McCarthy shoved or threw an elbow at Burchett. Burchett initially tried to respond jokingly, but when McCarthy ignored him, he yelled: "Hey Kevin, you got any guts!?" Burchett then ran down the hallway to catch him, his tan coat flapping, to confront McCarthy again. McCarthy denied touching him and Burchett called him a "jerk."
Some members asked what had happened on their way out of the votes a couple hours later, and Burchett has been flocked by reporters ever since.
As if the breathless coverage of the skirmish from reporters on the scene wasn't dramatic enough, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) — who loses life force any time he's not the center of attention, let alone the center of a physical altercation — escalated matters by filing an ETHICS COMMITTEE COMPLAINT against the former speaker.
You don't need to read the whole thing, but I've embedded it below in case you're a masochist. The key quote from the most reviled member of Congress: "This Congress has seen a substantial increase in breaches of decorum unlike anything we have seen since the pre-Civil War era. I myself have been a victim of outrageous conduct on the House floor as well, but nothing like an open and public assault on a Member, committed by another Member," he said, nodding at the time Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) lunged at him on the House floor, doing what any reasonable person would've done in the congressman's presence. "The rot starts at the top."
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