Kevin McCarthy should know threats of violence against women is not how a Congress leader should behave
By Dami Igbinyemi
GOP House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy appears to be getting more desperate on becoming Speaker of the House.
While giving a speech at a fundraiser dinner to approximately 1,400 Republicans in Tennessee, McCarthy talked about how the GOP will take back control of the House in the 2022 midterm elections with him as the new speaker. At the end of his speech, McCarthy was given an oversized gavel signifying the one he would wield if he got the job.
“I want you to watch Nancy Pelosi hand me that gavel. It will be hard not to hit her with it.” McCarthy said in audio posted to Twitter by a main street Nashville reporter. That line got some laughs from GOP donors who still love Trump; a man who has been accused of multiple allegations of abusing to women and defended other men accused of the same violent behaviour.
Pelosi’s spokesperson and Deputy Chief of Staff, Drew Hammill quickly issued a statement on Twitter. “A threat of violence to someone who was a target of a #January6th assassination attempt from your fellow Trump supporters is irresponsible and disgusting.”
Tension is still rising between Pelosi and McCarthy since the House select committee’s investigation into the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. Pelosi rejected two out of McCarthy’s five appointees from the committee, resulting in him withdrawing his picks and threatening to create a Republican-led investigation. McCarthy’s comment at the event is the latest sign of his declining relationship with Pelosi.
McCarthy’s comment didn’t sit well with numerous congressional Democrats, some asking for an apology and others going as far as to ask for his resignation.
“Shocked to hear this language coming from the Minority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives. Not shocked to hear it coming from someone who voted NO on the Violence Against Women Act. Violence is never a joke. Keven McCarthy should be ashamed.” Annie Kuster said in a tweet on Sunday.
“Dear GOP Leader McCarthy: Don’t you think America has had enough political violence? You should never be encouraging or threatening or joking about causing violence to anyone, including the Speaker of the House. You need to apologize for your statement or resign.” Ted Lieu said in a tweet on Saturday.
As of now, no statement has been released from McCarthy or his staff regarding the situation.
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