'Chase ensues' after Kevin McCarthy 'shoves' GOP lawmaker who voted to oust him: report

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has started telegraphing that he plans to exact revenge on the eight House Republicans who voted to depose him as speaker — and the California Republican's disdain for those members reportedly got physical on Tuesday.

NPR congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales reports that McCarthy gave Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) a "shove" as he walked past him in the Capitol, which led to Burchett trying to confront McCarthy.

"Why'd you elbow me in the back Kevin?!" said Burchett, as reported by Grisales. "Hey Kevin, you got any guts!?"

As McCarthy walked away, Burchett referred to him as a "jerk" and told Grisales that he had never seen the California Republican do anything remotely like that before.

"That's when the chase ensued," reports Grisales. "Burchett took off after McCarthy and his detail. I chased behind with my mic."

Burchett then began yelling at McCarthy.

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"Hey Kevin, why'd you walk behind me and elbow me in the back?" he demanded to know.

McCarthy denied giving him an elbow, but Burchett wasn't giving in.

"You got no guts, you did so," he said. "The reporter said it right there, what kind of chicken move is that."

McCarthy then walked away while Burchett called him "childish" and "a jerk," according to the report. Burchett also revealed that this was the first communication he'd had with McCarthy since he voted in favor of a motion to vacate the speaker's chair earlier this year.