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The GOP descends into a whole new level of chaos & it’s all thanks to Kevin McCarthy’s elbow from behind

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Kevin McCarthy sitting in the House Chamber with his hand over his mouth.

Who’s ready to Rumble?!?!

The GOP!

On Tuesday, multiple Republicans tried to turn the Capitol into a battle royal, from the former House Speaker all the way down to the rank-and-file. Early in the day, Kevin McCarthy, who was embarrassingly ousted as Speaker last month, allegedly elbowed Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett from behind.

NPR reporter Claudia Grisales was on the scene.

“While talking to @RepTimBurchett after the GOP conference meeting, former @SpeakerMcCarthy walked by with his detail and McCarthy shoved Burchett. Burchett lunged towards me,” she reported. “I thought it was a joke, it was not. And a chase ensued…”

When Burchett caught up with McCarthy (yes, apparently there was an actual chase), the California Republican denied elbowing him in the back.

Burchett responded with a slew of schoolyard insults, calling McCarthy “pathetic” and “gutless.”

The Tennessee lawmaker was one of several ultra-conservative House Republicans who led the charge to dismiss McCarthy.

Other members of the GOP were busy bringing out the popcorn.

Unsurprisingly, McCarthy’s chief antagonist, creepy party boy Matt Gaetz, seems to be enjoying the once-respectable politician’s downfall.

McCarthy elicited ire from far-right Republicans when he passed a continuing resolution to keep the government funded through November 17 (Friday). His modicum of bipartisanship prompted Republicans to oust him, and elect the vehemently anti-gay Mike Johnson as Speaker.

Johnson, for what it’s worth, is trying to shepherd through his own continuing resolution. Best of luck to him!

Burchett continued to demean McCarthy on CNN.

“I got elbowed in the back, and it caught me off-guard, because it was a clean shot to the kidneys. I turned back, and there was Kevin,” he said.

“For a minute, I was kind of like, ‘What the heck just happened?’ Then I chased after him, of course. As I’ve stated many times, he’s a bully with $17 million and a security detail. He’s the type of guy who when you were a kid, would throw a rock over the fence and run home and hide behind his mama’s skirt.”

Instead of hiding behind his mama’s skirt, McCarthy slid behind his security detail.

Meow! Let these cats fight!

But that’s wasn’t the only congressional smackdown!

Over in the Senate Chamber, Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin attempted to fight Teamsters leader Sean O’Brien, who was one of his committee’s witnesses during a hearing.

Mullin read back some taunting tweets from O’Brien, and then asked if he wanted to throw fists.

“Sir, this is a time. This is a place. If you want to run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults. We can finish it here,” Mullin challenged.

O’Brien called Mullin’s bluff.

“OK, that’s fine,” he responded.

Within seconds, the junior senator from Oklahoma was on his feet, daring O’Brien to “stand his butt up.”

That prompted committee chairman Bernie Sanders to play referee.

“Sit down! You’re a United States Senator. Sit down, please!” yelled the 82-year-old lawmaker.

Could’ve fooled us! That’s kind of what we expect from a guy named “Markwayne,” anyway.

He was a mixed martial arts fighter, after all…

There is an inglorious history of violence in Congress…though the most infamous dustups are hundreds of years old. Vice President Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamilton on the floor in 1804, leading to the first Treasury Secretary’s death.

Roughly 50 years later, South Carolina Democrat Preston Brooks attacked Charles Sumner, a Massachusetts anti-gay Republican, with a cane. Sumner was beaten unconscious.

In many ways, it’s fitting that Republicans tried to bring Congress back to the 19th century Tuesday. They want to bring us back there in terms of social policy, anyway.

Why not decorum, too?

Related:

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