"Complete Idiot" vs "Should Be Hit with a Gavel"... Heated Verbal Clash in US House

Pelosi and McCarthy's Harsh Words Boomerang

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Major foreign media reported on the 1st (local time) that the top leaders of the Democratic and Republican parties in the U.S. House of Representatives are exchanging almost abusive verbal battles and engaging in emotional conflicts.

Earlier, when Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi publicly criticized Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy as a "complete idiot," McCarthy responded by saying he should be "hit with a gavel."

According to reports, Minority Leader McCarthy attended a fundraising party held in Tennessee on the night of the 31st of last month, where he was discussing the Republican Party's plan to retake the House in next year's midterm elections and mentioned Pelosi.

After receiving a large gavel from one attendee, McCarthy joked, "I want you all to see Nancy Pelosi handing me this gavel," adding, "It would be hard not to hit her with this."

Once this remark became public, Pelosi's spokesperson Drew Hammill immediately issued a condemnation statement on Twitter. Democratic lawmakers also expressed anger toward McCarthy, calling him "shameful."

Democratic Representative Ted Lieu (California) called for McCarthy's resignation, and Teresa Leger Fernandez (New Mexico) publicly criticized him on Twitter, stating, "Violence against women is no joke."

Foreign media reported that McCarthy's office did not make any official comment in response to the Democratic lawmakers' criticism.

Earlier, on the 28th of last month, Speaker Pelosi harshly criticized Minority Leader McCarthy as a "complete idiot" when asked by reporters about his criticism of mask-wearing guidelines in the House.

The day before, the House medical team issued guidelines stating that masks should be worn inside the House when the risk of COVID-19 transmission is high, and McCarthy claimed, "This decision was made by progressive officials who want the pandemic to last forever."

Pelosi and McCarthy have rarely had a good relationship, but recently, their emotional rift deepened further during the formation of a special committee to investigate the Capitol riot by supporters of former President Donald Trump.

When Speaker Pelosi exercised her veto against two pro-Trump members among the five Republican-recommended investigators on the 21st of last month, Minority Leader McCarthy retaliated by calling it a "politically driven sham committee" led by Pelosi.