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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy recently came under fire for his joke about hitting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with a gavel should he become House Speaker in 2022. However, McCarthy is facing further backlash as a women’s rights group is calling on him to walk back on his comments.
Women’s rights group UltraViolet joined in the voices condemning the “joke” McCarthy made at a Tennessee GOP fundraiser. During the event, McCarthy was gifted a gavel where he said that he wants them to watch Pelosi hand the gavel over to him if he is made House Speaker in 2022 and Republicans reclaim the majority. McCarthy then added that it would be difficult for him not to hit the California Democrat with the gavel.
An audio recording of the “joke” McCarthy made went viral on social media, earning a lot of backlash for the House Minority Leader.
“Kevin McCarthy’s comments threatening violence against Speaker Pelosi are disgraceful, misogynistic, and wholly unacceptable. It should not be lost on anyone that Minority Leader McCarthy’s comments directly echo the violent online harassment, and real-world violence manifested in the January 6th insurrection, that threatens the life of Speaker Pelosi on a regular basis,” said UltraViolet communications director Bridget Todd in a statement.
Todd added that McCarthy should also resign over the comments. “The fact that McCarthy has not yet apologized for his dangerous, inciting words should send a clear signal to everyone that he is not fit to serve as a member of Congress, or in any position of elected responsibility. He should resign.”
Prior to the women’s rights group, several Democratic lawmakers also condemned McCarthy’s comments and called on him to either apologize or resign. This signals further tensions between both political parties in the chambers especially as the panel investigating the insurrection has already launched its investigation. McCarthy and the Republicans have tried to blame Pelosi for the violence that occurred despite pinning the blame on disgraced former President Donald Trump shortly after the riots.
Several criticisms have pointed out that the pro-Trump mob of Republicans who stormed the Capitol were literally trying to hunt down Pelosi and kill her on that day.
