Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., received into an altercation with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday.

Alex Brandon/AP

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Alex Brandon/AP

Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., received into an altercation with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday.

Alex Brandon/AP

In an indication of how deeply divided the House Republican convention stays after weeks of infighting, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and one of many Republicans who voted to oust him had an altercation within the Capitol Tuesday.

McCarthy shoved previous Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., as he was talking with NPR’s Claudia Grisales in a hallway. Burchett stumbled ahead and yelled after McCarthy, “Why’d you elbow me in the back, Kevin?! Hey Kevin, you got any guts?!”

Burchett then referred to as McCarthy a “jerk” and chased him down the hallway. When he caught as much as him, he mentioned, “What kind of chicken move is that? You’re pathetic, man. You are so pathetic.”

Burchett mentioned it was the primary time he’d spoken to McCarthy since he voted to oust him final month.

“That was it,” mentioned “He should have kept his word. I think that just showed what he’s about and it’s unfortunate.”

McCarthy denied elbowing Burchett, telling CNN that it was a “tight hallway.”

The dust-up comes hours earlier than the House is slated to vote on a stopgap measure to maintain the federal government open — the identical factor that triggered the push to oust McCarthy within the first place. That unprecedented ouster introduced legislative work to a halt and left the convention in disarray for 3 weeks whereas they tried to coalesce round a brand new speaker candidate.

Political disagreements in Congress are nothing new however the alternate between McCarthy, who was as soon as one of many high leaders within the celebration, and a rating member escalates an extended slide of bitterness and anger within the House.

And not like earlier disagreements, many Republicans say latest conflicts have grown more and more private.

A rising string of non-public assaults in opposition to Republicans by Republicans

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, a former member of the House, made lewd accusations final month about Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., after Gaetz triggered the push to oust McCarthy. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene attacked Rep. Darrell Issa Tuesday morning by means of the use of emojis. And latest convention conferences have been heated, typically devolving into expletive-laden shouting.

In one latest instance of the animosity, after Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., joked a few failed vote to expel New York Rep. George Santos, Santos went after Womack’s son, who has struggled with drug dependancy.

“Those are, you know, childish acts really, when you resort to going on social media and crossing red lines for a lot of members involving their families,” Womack mentioned.

Womack mentioned this is not the olden days when members of Congress may have heated fights throughout the day, adopted by joint dinners that night time.

“You know, I long for those days. That’s the way it was designed, and that’s the way it ought to function,” he mentioned. “But sadly, today there are too many personalities involved, and that’s regretful. It gets in the way of us getting our work done.”