WASHINGTON — A Senate hearing nearly turned violent on Tuesday when two men almost came to blows. During the altercation, a Republican congressman accused former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of assaulting him.
An argument between GOP Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma and Teamsters union president Sean O’Brien almost turned physical during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing.
Mullin, a former MMA fighter, recounted a Twitter interaction between the two that took place in June, which nearly ended in a charity MMA fight after a previous heated exchange at a previous congressional hearing.
Mullin publicly read O’Brien’s heated tweet to him during the hearing. O’Brien responded, and an altercation seemed imminent. However, Bernie Sanders eventually stepped in and stopped the situation from escalating further. The two agreed to settle their dispute over coffee.
Meanwhile, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., who voted against McCarthy as speaker, accused McCarthy of elbowing him in the kidneys. Burchett confronted McCarthy, who denied any aggression. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., filed an ethics complaint about the incident, further escalating tensions.
A spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made a statement, suggesting that the recent events illustrate the necessity to limit session times on Capitol Hill. McConnell himself expressed that he cannot control the behavior of everyone in the building.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
