Kevin McCarthy under fire for joking about hitting Pelosi with gavel

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy is facing calls to step down after he joked about having to restrain himself from hitting Speaker Nancy Pelosi over the head if his party takes control of the chamber next year.

McCarthy was given an oversized gavel adorned with the words “Fire Pelosi” by members of Tennessee’s Republican congressional delegation during a dinner Saturday in Nashville, according to a report.

The Republican leader was bullish about the prospects of the GOP regaining control of the House and him becoming speaker as a result, inviting the attendees of the dinner to come to the Capitol to witness Pelosi turning over the speaker’s gavel to him.

“It will be hard not to hit her with it, but I will bang it down,” McCarthy said, according to Washington Post reporter Michael Scherer.

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) said McCarthy must go over the comment.

“America has suffered enough violence around politics,” Swalwell tweeted. “@GOPLeader McCarthy is now a would-be assailant of @SpeakerPelosi. He needs to resign.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is eyeing for Republican control of the chamber in the upcoming 2022 midterm elections.

AFP via Getty Images

Rep. Eric Swalwell accused House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy of being a “would-be assailant” of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

EPA/JIM LO SCALZO

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) called on McCarthy to apologize to Pelosi or step down.

“Dear @GOPLeader McCarthy: Don’t you think America has had enough political violence? You should never be encouraging or threatening or joking about causing violence to anyone, including the Speaker of the House,” Lieu wrote on Twitter.

“You need to apologize for your statement, or resign,” he said.

McCarthy and Pelosi engaged in a war of words last week.

McCarthy called out his Democratic counterpart’s “hypocrisy” for not wearing a mask in the House after she renewed the mask mandate for the chamber amid the surge in cases because of the highly infectious Delta variant.

Rep. Ted Lieu demands House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy to apologize for his joke on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy have argued immensely over the CDC’s indoor mask mandate.

Credit: Ron Sachs / CNP

Earlier in the week, Pelosi called McCarthy a “moron” for arguing the mask rule was unscientific.

Pelosi’s spokesman, Drew Hammill, lashed out at McCarthy over his use of language but stopped short of demanding that the Republican resign.

“A threat of violence to someone who was a target of a #January6th assassination attempt from your fellow Trump supporters is irresponsible and disgusting,” Hammill said on Twitter.

McCarthy’s office did not respond to a request for comment.