Ex-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy denied punching GOP House Rep. Tim Burchett in the kidney this week in a House office building hallway, RadarOnline.com can report.
In the latest development to come after McCarthy allegedly struck Burchett on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, the former House Speaker denied that the incident transpired.
According to McCarthy, he “didn’t punch anybody” – although he did claim that their “shoulders hit” as McCarthy passed the Tennessee congressman.
“I would not hit him in the kidney,” the ousted House Speaker told reporters after the alleged incident occurred. “HC5, you’re all down there, right? Not a very big hallway.”
“So I’m walking out,” he continued. “I guess a reporter was interviewing Burchett or something, I guess our shoulders hit because Burchett runs up to me after. I didn’t know what he was talking about. Some reporters asked me. I did not run and hit the guy, I did not kidney punch him, or anything like that.”
McCarthy denied the allegations once again after a reporter asked whether he may have “shoved” Burchett in the HC5 hallway on Tuesday.
“No! We were walking through. You were at HC5, right?” McCarthy explained. “You guys line up along the way there, it was Bruce Westerman and I walking out, he must have been interviewing with someone, I didn’t know it was him or someone.”
“I guess our elbows hit as I walked by,” he said. “I didn’t punch anybody. If I would hit somebody, they would know I hit them.”
McCarthy denied the kidney punch accusations a third time when confronted by Burchett immediately after the alleged attack.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the ex-House Speaker told the Tennessee House Rep. “I didn’t even know something transpired.”