‘You Think He’s Just Making it Up?’ Fox’s Maria Bartiromo Quizzes Kevin McCarthy About Claim He Shoved Fellow Republican

Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo led her interview with Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) by confronting the former House Speaker over Congressman Tim Burchett’s (R-TN) accusations against him.

Last week, Burchett claimed that McCarthy struck him in the back with his elbow in a House office building hallway. McCarthy has denied the claim, but between this and other physical altercations that threatened to break loose on Capitol Hill, much of the media focus on Congress has gone to whether tensions among members are on the verge of a breaking point.

When Bartiromo welcomed McCarthy to Sunday Morning Futures, she took a direct line of questioning by asking “Did you elbow Tim Burchett in the ribs or in the back?”

“No, not at all,” McCarthy answered. “This is a narrow hallway. We were in a conference with 200 people. You’ve got the press all standing there, walking out, talking to other members. Just don’t take my word for it. Take to the members that were next to me and behind me. If anyone got bumped, it was not intentional. Just a crowded hallway where everybody’s walking out at one time.”

McCarthy continued to insist “Nobody got punched, nobody got hit, and some people wanna make press out of nothing.”

“So you think he’s just making it up, then?” Bartiromo asked. McCarthy answered that “If somebody got bumped because of a narrow hallway — it happens all the time — it was not intentional. I know no one got punched in the process. You can talk to the members behind me and around me.”

Watch above via Fox News.