WATCH: GOP Congressman Slaps at Democratic Staffer’s Phone in Wild Sidewalk Clash

Screenshot via X.

An interaction between a Republican congressman and a Democratic staffer got physical when the lawmaker used his phone to swat away the phone of the tracker who was filming him.

The incident happened as Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA) was walking down a sidewalk in Washington, D.C. Thursday with another man and they were approached by a Democratic staffer, according to a report by MS NOW Capitol Hill reporter Kevin Frey.

As Frey noted, trackers “are a part of life” for members of Congress, who are used to staffers from the opposing party being “paid to follow their every move both on and off Capitol Hill.”

The encounters between the elected officials and the trackers paid to follow them are “usually pretty tame,” wrote Frey, but on Thursday, Nunn “took a different tack.”

In the video clip shared by the tracker with MS NOW, Nunn is approached by the tracker, who asked him a question about rural hospital closures.

“I’m with a constituent,” Nunn cut him off. “Come on.”

“No, response, sir?” the tracker asked.

“No, I said I’m with a constituent,” Nunn replied. “You should protect their privacy.”

At this point in the video, Nunn can be seen raising his phone and using it to bat down the tracker’s phone.

“Careful,” said the tracker and Nunn and the man accompanying him cross the street at the crosswalk.

When reached for comment by MS NOW, Nunn replied in a written statement, “This wasn’t my finest moment, I shouldn’t have responded this way, and I set a bad example.”

“Partisan political operatives are paid to roam Capitol Hill and harass members,” he added. “These are the exact kind of dirty games that make people hate politics.”

Nunn was first elected to Congress in 2022. This year, he is facing a tough re-election race, with the GOP’s majority control of the House on the line and his district being targeted by Democrats to flip blue. His opponent is Iowa State Sen. Sarah Trone Garroitt (D).

Cook Political Report currently rates the race a “Toss-Up,” adjusting their analysis from “Lean R” earlier this year as the political environment has shifted.

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