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House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Trump supporter, blames the Jan 6 Capitol Hill riot on Speaker Nancy Pelosi, claiming (wrongly) she was responsible for a delay in military assistance. Last week, at a party fundraiser, when he was gifted a large gavel, McCarthy said he wanted the crowd to watch Pelosi hand him the gavel if he wins the speakership, and “it’ll be hard not to hit her with it, but I will bang it down.” [https://www.mainstreet-nashville.com/news/mccarthy-jokes-it-will-be-hard-not-to-hit-pelosi-with-gavel-if-he-is/article_a3f87c52-f2dc-11eb-a93b-cb5d7f6c4a34.html] As an audio record of his comments surfaced, House Democrats have asked him to apologize or resign. It was a joke and not a threat of violence, but are such jokes appropriate for senior leaders?
The audio, from Main Street Nashville:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe8JcK3kbUA
McCarthy’s office issued a statement saying “he was joking.” But with Pelosi, any talk of violence is not an empty threat either – much less a joking matter. During the Jan 6 attack, mobsters had broken into her office and called out for her.
Democrats see more than a joke here. One of them has reminded people that McCarthy had voted against the Violence Against Women Act.
“Threatening violence against the Speaker of the House is no joke. This is the kind of reckless language that led to a violent insurrection. The @GOPLeader knows his words have a consequence. He must apologize. Now,” tweeted New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney. [https://twitter.com/RepSeanMaloney/status/1421888714897252357]
McCarthy had initially condemned the rioting and blamed Trump for it, but then he went back to the Trump camp, and started blaming it on Pelosi. As McCarthy eyes the speakership in an election next year that may favor a Republican, he has started targeting her at every opportunity. Last week, he criticized her for the renewed mask mandate in the house. He said she was supporting “a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state.”
Pelosi replied he was a “moron.” Asked to clarify, she said, “To say that wearing a mask is not based on science, I think is not wise, but that’s all I am going to say about that.”
Also see:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/08/02/mccarthy-blasted-joking-hitting-pelosi-gavel/5452530001/
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-elections-kevin-mccarthy-nancy-pelosi-midterm-elections-256c6a24bb77c28e6d344290118959ec
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-08-02/pelosi-and-mccarthy-relationship-hits-a-new-low