McCarthy jokes ‘it will be hard not to hit’ Pelosi with gavel if he becomes speaker

(CNN) — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy joked astatine a Saturday nighttime lawsuit that it “will beryllium hard not to hit” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with the speaker’s gavel if Republicans instrumentality power of the enclosure successful the 2022 midterms and helium becomes speaker.

“I privation you to ticker Nancy Pelosi manus maine that gavel. It volition beryllium hard not to deed her with it,” McCarthy said in audio posted to Twitter by a Main Street Nashville reporter.

The Republican person made the comments aft helium was handed an oversized gavel by members of the Tennessee legislature delegation portion appearing astatine a fundraising lawsuit successful the state. His remarks are conscionable the latest motion of his deteriorating narration with the Democratic leader, who was not contiguous astatine the event.

Pelosi’s spokesperson and lawman main of unit swiftly condemned the comments.

“A menace of unit to idiosyncratic who was a people of a #January6th assassination effort from your chap Trump supporters is irresponsible and disgusting,” Drew Hammill said in a Saturday tweet in effect to the reports.

A spokesperson for McCarthy did not instantly respond to CNN’s petition for comment.

The comments besides drew backlash from a fig of legislature Democrats.

“Violence against women is nary laughing matter,” U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus, wrote connected Twitter. He called connected the House number person to apologize.

U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat, went a measurement further, calling for McCarthy’s resignation.

“America has suffered capable unit astir politics. @GOPLeader McCarthy is present a would-be assailant of @SpeakerPelosi,” he wrote connected Twitter.

Pelosi and McCarthy person precocious been successful a war of words amid the fallout from the House prime committee’s probe into the Jan. 6 onslaught connected the U.S. Capitol.

Pelosi rejected 2 of the 5 House Republicans McCarthy had tapped for the panel, starring him to propulsion each of his picks from the sheet altogether. During a telephone call informing him of the decision, voices were raised, a root with cognition of the substance antecedently told CNN, and McCarthy protested, hinting the determination could travel backmost to haunt Pelosi.

“What you’re doing is unprecedented,” McCarthy told Pelosi, according to a 2nd root acquainted with the call.

Since then, Pelosi has called McCarthy a “moron” successful effect to his disapproval of the reinstated disguise mandate successful the House, and McCarthy continues to slam Pelosi.

McCarthy questioned the subject down the speaker’s determination connected masks erstwhile asked astir her comment. “Well if she’s truthful bright, I’d similar to cognize wherever the subject changes successful the Capitol, betwixt the House and the Senate,” helium said, referring to antithetic rules regarding masks betwixt the 2 chambers.