House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy joked when attending a fundraiser for the Republican Party in Tennessee on Saturday that if a Republican takes over the House of Representatives after 2022, if he becomes the new speaker, it will be “difficult to hit the speaker of the House without a gavel” Nancy Pelosi’s midterm elections.
McCarthy, a staunch ally of Donald Trump from Bakersfield, California, made a joke when he was handed an oversized mallet by a member of the state’s congressional delegation.
“I want you to watch Nancy Pelosi pass me the gavel. It’s hard not to hit her with it,” McCarthy said in his speech.
McCarthy made the comment as the keynote speaker for the politicians dinner, a fundraising event sponsored by the Republican Party of Tennessee and held in the Music City Center in downtown Nashville.
Audio here @GOPLadercomment of @SpeakerPelosi: https://t.co/tSmcteVcdk pic.twitter.com/yLC4lzGEVV
— Vivian Jones (@Vivian_E_Jones) August 1, 2021
Two of the five House Republicans recommended by McCarthy for the panel were rejected by Pelosi. Since then, McCarthy and Pelosi have been discussing this issue.
When the House of Representatives again mandated the wearing of masks, Pelosi was quoted calling McCarthy an “idiot.” McCarthy questioned the science behind her authorization.
These comments caught the attention of the Democrats, who called for McCarthy out. “Violence against women is not a joke,” New York Rep. Hakim Jeffries said on Twitter.
“The U.S. has suffered enough political violence. @GOPLader McCarthy is now a potential attacker for @SpeakerPelosi,” California Rep. Eric Swalwell said Twitter.
Drew Hamill Comments on Twitter It also stated that “it is irresponsible and disgusting to make violent threats against people targeted by Trump supporters #January6th assassination attempt.”
Violence against women is no joke.
Apologize.https://t.co/Q1LitsUlRr
— Hakeem Jeffries (@hakeemjeffries) August 1, 2021
