Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett got into a physical altercation with a protester in Washington, D.C., over his stance on the war in Gaza — and later said his accoster “had bad breath,” according to a report.
Burchett was confronted by the protester on Thursday outside the Longworth House Office Building, one of the five buildings in the Capitol used by the U.S. House of Representatives, Politico reported.
The man accosted the lawmaker about his stance on the Israel-Hamas war and then bumped him, prompting Burchett, a vocal supporter of Israel, to forcefully shove the man back, according to the report.
Capitol police officers questioned the protester after the incident. It was not immediately clear what was said before the confrontation became physical. Police did not immediately return The Independent’s request for comment.
“Everyone has a right to their opinion, and they can say all of the filthy stuff they want,” Burchett‘s spokesperson Will Garrett told The Independent. “But they don’t have the right to bump the congressman.”
After the incident, which unfolded soon after the final House votes of the week, Burchett reportedly said the protester “had bad breath,” according to Politico.
It’s not the first altercation Burchett has gotten into in the Capitol. In 2023, Burchett had a confrontation with Kevin McCarthy, the former House speaker, after he voted to oust him from his role.
McCarthy was seen by reporters elbowing Burchett, who was being interviewed by NPR reporter Claudia Grisales.
Grisales said she had “never seen this on Capitol Hill,” in an X post shortly after the event.
“While talking to @RepTimBurchett after the GOP conference meeting, former @SpeakerMcCarthy walked by with his detail and McCarthy shoved Burchett. Burchett lunged towards me. I thought it was a joke, it was not. And a chase ensued,” she wrote.
Burchett then stumbled and began yelling and chasing McCarthy down the hallway. He eventually called McCarthy a “jerk,” before asking him, “What kind of chicken move is that? You’re pathetic, man. You are so pathetic,” NPR reported at the time.
