House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is being widely criticized for comments he made at a Republican fundraiser over the weekend.
McCarthy joked "it'll be hard to not hit" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., with the speaker's gavel should he become speaker. McCarthy made the comments Saturday at a fundraiser for the Tennessee Republican Party, where he was the keynote speaker.
“I want you to watch Nancy Pelosi hand me that gavel ... It’ll be hard not to hit her with it,” he said in audio released by a Main Street Nashville reporter.
A spokesman for McCarthy told NBC News he was “obviously joking.” The comments still infuriated many, who view the comment as crude at best and actively threatening at worst.
Masks and critical race theory: Kevin McCarthy slams Democrats at Tennessee Statesmen's Dinner
"A threat of violence to someone who was a target of a #January6th assassination attempt from your fellow Trump supporters is irresponsible and disgusting," Drew Hamill, Pelosi's deputy chief of staff, wrote on Twitter.
"Violence against women is no laughing matter. Apologize," Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., chair of the House Democratic caucus, wrote on Twitter.
"Speaker Pelosi used her courage and moral compass to lead us to pass the Violence Against Woman Act. Kevin McCarthy thinks joking about hitting a woman is funny. When someone shows you who they are, believe them," wrote Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla.
Other lawmakers called McCarthy's comments "disgraceful," "misogynistic and dangerous," and "something he should be ashamed of."
Many, including California Democratic Reps.Ted Lieu and Eric Swalwell, also called on McCarthy to resign over the comment. Swalwell called McCarthy a "would-be assailant" who "needs to resign," while Lieu put a question to McCarthy over the affair: "Don’t you think America has had enough political violence?"
The comments also reignited fundraising by Democratic activists aiming to protect the Democrats' thin House majority in the 2022 midterms and deny McCarthy the speakership. The hashtag #ResignMcCarthy was shared by progressive groups and Democratic lawmakers after the minority leader's comments became public.
McCarthy has not publicly responded. Republican lawmakers also appear quiet on the issue.
The controversy also comes at a low point in the relation between the speaker and minority leader. On July 28, Pelosi called McCarthy "such a moron" for comments he made opposing new mask mandates at the U.S. Capitol amid rising COVID-19 case numbers.
McCarthy, meanwhile, is facing pressure within his own caucus to be more adversarial toward Pelosi. Many GOP lawmakers, including Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y, chair of the House GOP caucus, have called the speaker "authoritarian," while incorrectly blaming her for the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
www.usatoday.com
McCarthy joked "it'll be hard to not hit" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., with the speaker's gavel should he become speaker. McCarthy made the comments Saturday at a fundraiser for the Tennessee Republican Party, where he was the keynote speaker.
“I want you to watch Nancy Pelosi hand me that gavel ... It’ll be hard not to hit her with it,” he said in audio released by a Main Street Nashville reporter.
A spokesman for McCarthy told NBC News he was “obviously joking.” The comments still infuriated many, who view the comment as crude at best and actively threatening at worst.
Masks and critical race theory: Kevin McCarthy slams Democrats at Tennessee Statesmen's Dinner
"A threat of violence to someone who was a target of a #January6th assassination attempt from your fellow Trump supporters is irresponsible and disgusting," Drew Hamill, Pelosi's deputy chief of staff, wrote on Twitter.
"Violence against women is no laughing matter. Apologize," Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., chair of the House Democratic caucus, wrote on Twitter.
"Speaker Pelosi used her courage and moral compass to lead us to pass the Violence Against Woman Act. Kevin McCarthy thinks joking about hitting a woman is funny. When someone shows you who they are, believe them," wrote Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla.
Other lawmakers called McCarthy's comments "disgraceful," "misogynistic and dangerous," and "something he should be ashamed of."
Many, including California Democratic Reps.Ted Lieu and Eric Swalwell, also called on McCarthy to resign over the comment. Swalwell called McCarthy a "would-be assailant" who "needs to resign," while Lieu put a question to McCarthy over the affair: "Don’t you think America has had enough political violence?"
The comments also reignited fundraising by Democratic activists aiming to protect the Democrats' thin House majority in the 2022 midterms and deny McCarthy the speakership. The hashtag #ResignMcCarthy was shared by progressive groups and Democratic lawmakers after the minority leader's comments became public.
McCarthy has not publicly responded. Republican lawmakers also appear quiet on the issue.
The controversy also comes at a low point in the relation between the speaker and minority leader. On July 28, Pelosi called McCarthy "such a moron" for comments he made opposing new mask mandates at the U.S. Capitol amid rising COVID-19 case numbers.
McCarthy, meanwhile, is facing pressure within his own caucus to be more adversarial toward Pelosi. Many GOP lawmakers, including Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y, chair of the House GOP caucus, have called the speaker "authoritarian," while incorrectly blaming her for the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Democrats slam Kevin McCarthy over joke about hitting Speaker Nancy Pelosi with gavel
The Republican minority leader was widely criticized for a joke about hitting Speaker Pelosi with a gavel at a Tennessee GOP fundraiser.
www.usatoday.com
