On Sunday, Republican minority leader Kevin McCarthy was met with criticism after allegedly shoving a colleague to the ground. The altercation happened during a closed-door meeting of the House Republican Conference at the US Capitol.
The altercation occurred when McCarthy, a California Republican, encountered Pennsylvania Representative Jim Jordan in the Capitol building. Jordan was credited with leading the ouster of McCarthy from the House GOP Oversight chairmanship in 2018. When the two met, an argument ensued resulting in McCarthy allegedly pushing Jordan.
This physical altercation has been met with swift criticism, with the Ethics Committee publicly asserting that there will be an investigation into the scuffle.
“The Chairwoman and Ranking Member of the Committee are aware of public allegations that Representative McCarthy pushed Representative Jordan,” the Joint Subcommittee on Ethics stated. “The Committee is looking into this matter and will conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether the allegation is true and, if so, whether any disciplinary action or other remedy is appropriate.”
The incident has spurred a vocal outcry from fellow lawmakers and ethics experts alike. “This is utterly unacceptable behavior,” tweeted Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin. “It should be denounced by all. If he’d done it to a woman colleague, it would be worldwide news. @SpeakerPelosi@LeaderHoyer—please make sure that the ethics committee thoroughly investigates this.”
Lawrence M. Noble, a former general counsel of the Federal Election Commission, expressed his concerns over the altercation. “If it happened as described, then it was a violation of ethics regulations,” he told CNN. “It was inappropriate usage of official power.”
As of now, neither McCarthy nor Jordan have personally commented on the altercation, though the repercussions of this incident have already become a topic of hot debate. US politics have already been quite tumultuous in 2021 and this altercation is just the latest surprise addition to the mix. An ethics investigation awaits its resolution and all eyes are on Capitol Hill to see what comes next.