Republican lawmaker wants bust of Ukraine's Zelenskyy displayed at US Capitol



Long-serving Republican Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina has put forward a resolution that calls for displaying a bust of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the U.S. Capitol.

"Resolved, That the House of Representatives directs the Fine Arts Board to obtain a bust of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for display in a suitable, permanent location in the House of Representatives wing of the United States Capitol," the resolution states.

Wilson has served as a House lawmaker for more than two decades.

The U.S. has spent billions of dollars backing Ukraine as that beleaguered nation strives to fight against a Russian invasion.

Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine "fully understand the meaning behind the American Revolution mottos of Don't Tread On Me and Live Free or Die," Wilson said in a December tweet. "The United States stands with Ukraine for victory."

\u201caround the world. They fully understand the meaning behind the American Revolution mottos of Don\u2019t Tread On Me and Live Free or Die. The United States stands with Ukraine for victory. (2/2)\u201d
— Joe Wilson (@Joe Wilson) 1671661583

Last month, while addressing a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress, Zelenskyy declared, "Your money is not charity. It's an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way."

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky responded by tweeting, "It is not charity. Charity would be given freely. The American taxpayers have been conscripted into making welfare payments to this foreign government." Massie had previously tweeted, "I'm in DC but I will not be attending the speech of the Ukrainian lobbyist."

\u201cIt is not charity. Charity would be given freely. The American taxpayers have been conscripted into making welfare payments to this foreign government.\u201d
— Thomas Massie (@Thomas Massie) 1671671249

Last month, Congress passed an around $1.7 trillion omnibus package that ran thousands of pages long — the mammoth measure included billions of dollars in assistance for Ukraine.

"Congratulations to @GOPLeader on his election as the Speaker," Zelenskyy tweeted after Republican Kevin McCarthy of California secured the House speakership last week. "U.S. support in all fields has been vital for [Ukraine]'s success on the battlefield. We're counting on your continued support and further U.S. assistance to bring our common victory closer."

\u201cCongratulations to @GOPLeader on his election as the Speaker of \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 House of Representatives. U.S. support in all fields has been vital for \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\u2019s success on the battlefield. We\u2019re counting on your continued support and further U.S. assistance to bring our common victory closer.\u201d
— \u0412\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434\u0438\u043c\u0438\u0440 \u0417\u0435\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0441\u044c\u043a\u0438\u0439 (@\u0412\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434\u0438\u043c\u0438\u0440 \u0417\u0435\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0441\u044c\u043a\u0438\u0439) 1673072187

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Kevin McCarthy falls one vote short of clinching speakership in 14th round of voting



For the 14th time this week, Kevin McCarthy has come up short in his quest to clinch the House speakership.

He came closer than he had all week by earning 216 votes — he would have locked up a win if he had been able to reach 217.

Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Matt Gaetz of Florida, who had previously voted against McCarthy in the first 13 rounds, voted present during the 14th vote.

Andy Biggs of Arizona, Eli Crane of Arizona, Bob Good of Virginia, Matt Rosendale of Montana, who had all voted against McCarthy on the first 13 rounds, voted against him again in the 14th round.

A group of more than a dozen Republicans voted against McCarthy in 11 votes this week, including three votes on Tuesday, three on Wednesday, and five on Thursday. Nineteen Republicans opposed McCarthy in the first two votes, but that number increased to 20 when Byron Donalds of Florida, who had voted for McCarthy twice, switched and voted against McCarthy on the third vote. Victoria Spartz of Indiana, who had voted for McCarthy on the first three votes, switched and started voting present in the fourth through 11th rounds.

But on Friday, many of those Republicans voted to back McCarthy during the 12th vote, including 13 who had been voting against McCarthy plus Spartz, who had been voting present. Andy Harris of Maryland switched to vote for McCarthy on the 13th vote.

"We're at a turning point. I've negotiated in good faith, with one purpose: to restore the People’s House back to its rightful owners. The framework for an agreement is in place, so in a good-faith effort, I voted to restore the People’s House by voting for @gopleader McCarthy," Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, who has been voting for McCarthy since the 12th vote, tweeted on Friday.

\u201cWe\u2019re at a turning point. I\u2019ve negotiated in good faith, with one purpose: to restore the People\u2019s House back to its rightful owners. The framework for an agreement is in place, so in a good-faith effort, I voted to restore the People\u2019s House by voting for @gopleader McCarthy.\u201d
— RepScottPerry (@RepScottPerry) 1673028333

Throughout the votes this week, Democrats consistently voted for Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

Far-left Democrat offers shock praise for House Republican amid speaker chaos: 'I respect that a lot more'



Far-left Rep. Ted Lieu offered surprising praise for a House Republican on Wednesday.

Lieu, a Democrat from Hawaii, commended Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) for standing on his principles — talking the talk and walking the walk.

"I don't agree with [Roy] on most issues. But I believe that he believes in what he says," Lieu said. "I respect that a lot more than Republicans like [Kevin McCarthy] and [Elise Stefanik] who will say anything to gain power."

\u201cI don\u2019t agree with @chiproytx on most issues. But I believe that he believes in what he says. I respect that a lot more than Republicans like @GOPLeader and @EliseStefanik who will say anything to gain power. Will be interesting to see if folks like Chip Roy stand up or fold.\u201d
— Ted Lieu (@Ted Lieu) 1672838844

Roy is one of the leading figures campaigning against Rep. Kevin McCarthy's bid to become House speaker. As of Wednesday afternoon, McCarthy had lost five consecutive ballots for the speakership.

A faction of 20 Republican lawmakers is blocking McCarthy's bid. They believe that electing McCarthy to be House speaker will empower the political status quo.

"What I'm not going to do is blindly do what the swamp does. My constituents didn't send me here to do that," Roy said Tuesday on Fox News. "Is anybody listening to this actually happy with what Congress is doing? Is anybody out there? Are you? Anybody in America, do you think Congress is doing a good job? The answer is no."

"So, why would we embrace the status quo? Why would we keep doing the same thing over and over again? That is what is happening in the room," he said.

Anything else?

Republican infighting has temporarily rendered the House of Representatives powerless because, as the New York Times explained, "law and precedents state that the House must elect a speaker before lawmakers take any other action."

From the Times:

Without a speaker, the United States House of Representatives essentially becomes a useless entity. With no sworn members, there are no lawmakers to make an official response to an emergency or a crisis. With no rules adopted, the legislative process cannot move forward; no bills can be passed or resolutions adopted.

As of Wednesday afternoon, House members-elect were voting on a sixth ballot for speaker. By the time of publication, 11 Republicans had already voted against McCarthy, meaning the vote will go to a seventh ballot.

Press sec panics when Doocy brings up DAMNING Biden voicemail: 'I'm not going to talk about' that



White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to answer Fox News reporter Peter Doocy's question about certain "alleged materials" on the president's son's now-infamous laptop.

According to a Daily Mail report last week, a 2018 voicemail was discovered on a cellphone backup on Hunter Biden’s laptop that reveals that Joe Biden knew about his son's dubious business dealings in China. The president has repeatedly denied that he ever spoke with Hunter about any of his overseas business dealings.

\u201cEXCLUSIVE: Voicemail from Joe Biden to Hunter proves president DID speak about his son's Chinese business dealings https://t.co/8WBBKEHvoW\u201d
— Daily Mail Online (@Daily Mail Online) 1656385562

"Why is there a voicemail of the president talking to his son about his overseas business dealings if the president has said he's never spoken to his son about his overseas business dealings?" Doocy asked Jean-Pierre.

"Well, first I will say that what the president said stands. So, if that's what the president said, that is what stands," Jean-Pierre responded. "And secondly ... from this podium, I'm not going to talk about alleged materials from the laptop."

\u201cDOOCY: "Why is there a voicemail of the president talking to his son about his overseas business dealings...?"\n\nKJP: "I am not going to talk about alleged materials from the laptop."\n\nDOOCY: "Are you disputing that it's the president's voice on the voicemail?"\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657050230

Philip Wegmann from RealClearNews wasn't about to let Jean-Pierre off the hook.

\u201c.@PhilipWegmann: "You seemed to dismiss Peter's question about his conversation with his son Hunter Biden...how is that silence consistent with the president's promise to always level with the American public?"\n\nKJP: "I can not comment on any materials from the laptop."\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657052441

Neither were the people on Twitter:

\u201c@townhallcom So, we\u2019re going to be the most transparent administration in history, but we won\u2019t answer questions from the podium and the president won\u2019t take questions at all. Ok.\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657050230
\u201c@berkshirebabe03 @townhallcom Duck and weave\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657050230
\u201c@townhallcom @kddkevin572 I want answers\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657050230
\u201c@townhallcom Hey I\u2019m not here to answer tough questions about shading dealings and shipping off our strategic fuel supply to other countries! I\u2019m just here to make small talk! Certainly y\u2019all know this by now. \ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657050230
\u201c@townhallcom Just answer the question lady\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657050230
\u201c@townhallcom Why haven't the Republican leadership brought the Hunter laptop voice exchange up in a public forum? @GOPLeader @laurenboebert @SteveScaliseGOP\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657050230

Watch the video clip below to see Doocy hurling more facts at Biden's reluctant press secretary:


Republican Rep. Liz Cheney claims that 'The House GOP leadership has enabled white nationalism, white supremacy, and anti-semitism'



GOP Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming on Monday accused House Republican leadership of enabling racism.

"The House GOP leadership has enabled white nationalism, white supremacy, and anti-semitism. History has taught us that what begins with words ends in far worse. @GOP leaders must renounce and reject these views and those who hold them," Cheney tweeted.

In response to Cheney's post, former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele tweeted, "Word."

"She's right, you know... " leftist MSNBC host Joy Reid tweeted..

"My colleague has it right," Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. of New Jersey tweeted. "You can draw a direct line from the dangerous rhetoric and incitement of trump and gop leaders and the violence of rampaging neo-nazis, militia maniacs, Capitol insurrectionists and other rightwing domestic terrorists."

My colleague has it right. You can draw a direct line from the dangerous rhetoric and incitement of trump and gop leaders and the violence of rampaging neo-nazis, militia maniacs, Capitol insurrectionists and other rightwing domestic terrorists.https://twitter.com/liz_cheney/status/1526159124840558592\u00a0\u2026
— Bill Pascrell, Jr. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Bill Pascrell, Jr. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1652710349

Cheney's tweet came after a white 18-year-old man perpetrated a shooting on Saturday at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. The attack left 10 people dead, all of whom were black — three others people were wounded, including two white people and one black person, according to the Associated Press. The individual has been arraigned on a murder charge, but has pleaded not guilty.

"How do we know Liz Cheney is correct?" Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California tweeted. "Because @GOPLeader refuses to condemn white replacement theory, which radicalized Buffalo murderer. And MAGA Republican @EliseStefanik ran ads promoting the vile, racist and anti-Semitic replacement theory."

In a statement, Stefanik senior adviser Alex deGrasse has rejected the idea that Stefanik ever promoted racism.

"Any implication or attempt to blame the heinous shooting in Buffalo on the Congresswoman is a new disgusting low for the Left, their Never Trump allies, and the sycophant stenographers in the media," deGrasse said in the statement. "Despite sickening and false reporting, Congresswoman Stefanik has never advocated for any racist position or made a racist statement."

pic.twitter.com/o4qeQK6ADx
— Elise Stefanik (@Elise Stefanik) 1652700792

Last year, Cheney was kicked out of a House leadership role. The congresswoman was one of the 10 House Republicans to vote in favor of impeaching then-President Donald Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. In May, 2021, the outspoken Trump critic was was ousted from her role as House Republican conference chair. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York was later selected to fill the slot.

Cheney and GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois are the only two Republicans serving on the House select committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 episode. The congresswoman, who has served in the House since 2017, is seeking re-election, but Trump has endorsed challenger Harriet Hageman who is vying to defeat Cheney in the GOP primary.

Cheney is the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, who served alongside President George W. Bush.

AOC calls GOP congressman 'a collection of wet toothpicks' after he posted a doctored anime clip that depicted him attacking her



Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and other lawmakers have criticized Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) for posting an edited video that includes a section in which Cortez's face is superimposed over a cartoon figure that gets attacked by a character that has Gosar's face superimposed on it.

Another section shows a figure with Gosar's face is leaping to attack President Joe Biden, though the video pauses with the character in midair and the attack is not shown.

"Any anime fans out there?" Gosar asked in a tweet sharing the video on Sunday. The lawmaker's tweet disappeared on Tuesday and Twitter indicates that the post has been deleted.

Gosar had also retweeted the now-unavailable tweet on his personal Twitter account, but as of Tuesday evening the retweeted content has vanished and a notice from Twitter says "This Tweet was deleted by the Tweet author."

The creativity of my team is off the hook. https://twitter.com/repgosar/status/1457493879003963398\u00a0\u2026

— Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) 1636333454

"So while I was en route to Glasgow, a creepy member I work with who fundraises for Neo-Nazi groups shared a fantasy video of him killing me," Cortez tweeted on Monday. "And he'll face no consequences bc @GOPLeader cheers him on with excuses. Fun Monday! Well, back to work bc institutions don't protect woc."

In another tweet Cortez declared: "This dude is a just a collection of wet toothpicks anyway. White supremacy is for extremely fragile people &sad men like him, whose self concept relies on the myth that he was born superior because deep down he knows he couldn't open a pickle jar or read a whole book by himself."

Prior to the tweet disappearing from the platform, Twitter had flagged it with a notice saying that the post ran afoul of its rules regarding hateful conduct, but that the tweet would remain available on the platform anyway. Users had to click to bypass the notice in order to view the tweet.

"This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about hateful conduct. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public's interest for the Tweet to remain accessible," the social media company's notice had stated.

Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California blasted Gosar for "sick behavior" and said that "In any workplace in America, if a coworker made an anime video killing another coworker, that person would be fired."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) condemned Gosar and called upon House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to join her.

"Threats of violence against Members of Congress and the President of the United States must not be tolerated. @GOPLeader should join in condemning this horrific video and call on the Ethics Committee and law enforcement to investigate," Pelosi tweeted.

Gosar issued a statement in which he said that the video is symbolic and he does not promote violence toward the president or any lawmakers.

"I do not espouse violence or harm towards any Member of Congress or Mr. Biden. The video depicts the fight taking place next week on the House floor and symbolizes the battle for the soul of America when Congress takes up Mr. Biden's massive $4 trillion spending bill that includes amnesty for millions of illegal aliens already in our country and was not meant to depict any harm or violence against anyone portrayed in the anime. This video is truly a symbolic portrayal of a fight over immigration policy," Gosar said.

Rep. Paul Gosar in a new statement is addressing the blowback from the anime video that caught the attention of top Democrats. \n\n\u201cI do not espouse violence or harm towards any Member of Congress or Mr. Biden," he writes.pic.twitter.com/CwfzHcKVC7

— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) 1636498171

The video is still currently available on Gosar's Instagram profile.

Content warning: The bare backside of the figure that gets attacked appears to be briefly visible.

Sen. Josh Hawley says  'Biden's entire defense and foreign policy team must resign'



Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said in a tweet Wednesday that President Joe Biden is responsible for "the worst foreign policy debacle since Vietnam" and that the president's defense and foreign policy team needs to resign.

"This is the worst foreign policy debacle since Vietnam, due to Joe Biden. He has lost the confidence of the American people and the ability to lead. Biden's entire defense and foreign policy team must resign, and there must be a full congressional inquiry," the Republican lawmaker tweeted.

"In the immediate term, we must focus on getting Americans trapped in Afghanistan out safely. That should be our top priority," he said in another tweet.

This is the worst foreign policy debacle since Vietnam, due to Joe Biden. He has lost the confidence of the America… https://t.co/usrdyZ3lS7

— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) 1629309300.0

The Taliban has swiftly taken over Afghanistan and the U.S. is currently scrambling to evacuate American citizens and others from the country.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley said during a Wednesday press briefing that the swift collapse of the Afghan army and government had not been anticipated.

"There was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days," he said.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday that a "fair amount" of the defense materials supplied to Afghanistan by the U.S. have fallen into the Taliban's hands.

President Biden indicated during an ABC News interview that there was not a way for the U.S. to withdraw "without chaos ensuing." Biden remarked that "the idea that somehow, there's a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don't know how that happens."

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) are requesting a classified briefing or call next week with the Gang of Eight regarding various aspects of the situation in Afghanistan.

In a letter to President Biden, the Republican congressional leaders said that they want to learn about "The number and location of U.S. persons currently located in Afghanistan, and the methodology to determine such a number and location." They also want to be briefed on "the Administration's plan to evacuate U.S. persons outside of Kabul who cannot travel safely to the city," and other similar issues.

The Gang of Eight refers to the chair and ranking member of the House and Senate intelligence committees plus the four leaders of the two congressional chambers, according to Ballotpedia.

.@LeaderMcConnell and I demand that President Biden brief Congress on his plan to evacuate all American personnel i… https://t.co/9uuK2dwFJF

— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) 1629328847.0

Joy Reid and guests paint Republicans as terrorists who are 'starting to kill our kids'



On Wednesday night's episode of "ReidOut," left-wing MSNBC host Joy Reid resurfaced the 2017 Charlottesville rally and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to paint conservatives as terrorists and claim that the Republican Party is "harboring" a "white nationalist insurgency." Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California also appeared on the progressive cable TV show, where he said members of the GOP are "starting to kill our kids" because of their opinions on the COVID-19 vaccine.

Reid kicked off her show by rehashing the rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, on the fourth anniversary of the deadly event.

"Four years ago tonight, we got our first on-camera glimpse of the fascism right in front of us," Reid claimed, then compared the "Unite the Right" white nationalist rally to the "torchlight rallies held at Nuremberg during the Third Reich."

Reid purported that Charlottesville was the "tinderbox" that led to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol building.

Reid then welcomed MSNBC contributor Malcolm Nance, who said the conservative base believes that Democrats "must be destroyed by force of arms."

"You know, there's a substantial portion of the gun-slinging conservative base that really doesn't support QAnon," Nance said. "Even though, and I said this a year ago on this program, QAnon would take over the Republican ideology, and it has, even though they don't allow Q shirts at Trump rallies and things like that, the belief in the inherent evilness of all Democrats and that that there's a global cabal that must be destroyed by force of arms, that is now standard throughout the conservative base."

"The Republican Party — you know, I used to joke that they were Vanilla ISIS, right, all of these militiamen and everything out there. They were like ISIS," Nance ranted, as reported by NewsBusters. "They were like al Qaeda in the sense that they radicalized online, they would meet together in secret and they did all of these activities, which were very much like a terrorist insurgency."

"Now, I think they have shifted," Nance hypothesized. "The Republican Party is more like Sinn Fein and the relationship between Sinn Fein, the Irish Nationalist Party, and the Irish Republican Army, provisional Irish Republican army terrorist group, who called themselves freedom fighters and insurgents and had Americans, American congressman sending them money to buy, you know, heavy machine guns."

Nance said some conservatives see themselves as the second coming of the Sons of Liberty and alleged many of them "are preparing for civil war right now."

Nance asserted that Republican lawmakers are "subliminally" encouraging their base to fight.

"There are many of them right now that are ready to fight and we're seeing politicians in the statehouses and the Capitol who are actually, you know, pushing them subliminally to fight," Nance claimed.

Reid asked Swalwell if he felt "comfortable and safe" working with Republicans in Congress, "who at minimum are willing to live with that kind of fascism and white nationalism in their party?"

Swalwell responded by making the accusation that Republicans would have joined in on the Capitol riots had they not been in Congress.

"No, Joy, I don't," Swalwell said of feeling safe. "And we look at many of our colleagues and believe that had they not been in Congress on January 6, they would have been on the other side of the door right next to Ashli Babbitt. And so I'm not working with them."

Swalwell then pivoted to how Republicans are "literally killing us" by conservatives claiming "the lie that the election was stolen" and "the lie that vaccines do not work also propagated by Tucker Carlson, Kevin McCarthy and, you know, those guys in the Republican Party, it's killing Americans and it's starting to kill our kids."

McCarthy, like most notable Republican politicians, has stated that "vaccines work."

Vaccines work and vaccinated Americans should not have to wear masks. By forcing vaccinated Americans to return t… https://t.co/xDQ5QdRhJQ

— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) 1627422589.0

Without presenting evidence, Swalwell has attacked "those guys" in the "Radical Republican Party" for "lying about vaccines." In Twitter posts from this month, the failed Democratic presidential candidate blamed Republicans for the CDC's guidance on wearing masks indoors, including for the fully vaccinated.

You should be angry. In many places you have to wear your mask indoors again. Exciting fall plans — vacations, wedd… https://t.co/9xMoo6r502

— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) 1628520570.0


Masks are back & I couldn’t be more pissed. I hate them. I was ready to burn them. But you know why we have to wear… https://t.co/ZU0iCIrd9o

— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) 1628025948.0

You can watch the entire "ReidOut" segment below.

Rep. Swalwell: Twin Lies That Election Was Stolen And Vaccines Don't Work Is Killing Us www.youtube.com

Democrats meltdown, demand Kevin McCarthy resign over joke he made about Nancy Pelosi: 'What a piece of s***'



House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) faced calls to resign from outraged Democrats on Sunday after he made a joke about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and what he would do if Republicans regained the House majority in the 2022 midterm elections.

What did McCarthy say?

At a dinner in Nashville on Saturday night, the Tennessee Republican congressional delegation gifted McCarthy an oversized gavel with the words "Fire Pelosi" emblazoned on it.

During his speech, McCarthy reportedly said it would be difficult not to hit Pelosi with the House speaker's gavel if Republicans retake the House majority, which would likely make McCarthy, as leader of the Republicans, speaker of the House.

"It will be hard not to hit her with it but I will bang it down," McCarthy said.

What was the reaction?

Democrats voiced outrage over McCarthy's remarks, many of whom demanded he resign. Much of the outrage conflated McCarthy's joke to the U.S. Capitol riots on Jan. 6.

  • Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) said, "America has suffered enough violence around politics. @GOPLeader McCarthy is now a would-be assailant of @SpeakerPelosi. He needs to resign."
  • Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) said, "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. You need to apologize for your statement, or resign."
  • Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) said, "Language like this led to violence and death at the United States Capitol. @GOPLeader knows his words carry weight. He must apologize immediately."
  • Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) said, "After the political violence of January 6th where @SpeakerPelosi was targeted, this behavior is intolerable. Kevin McCarthy must apologize immediately."
  • Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said, "What a piece of s***."

Pelosi has not responded to McCarthy's comments. Her spokesman, however, has. Drew Hammill, writing on his personal Twitter account, called McCarthy's joke "irresponsible and disgusting."

"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.

A threat of violence to someone who was a target of a #January6th assassination attempt from your fellow Trump supp… https://t.co/YPOXURbOJz

— Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) 1627780710.0

Tensions between Pelosi and McCarthy have been rising in recent weeks.

Last month, Pelosi rejected two of McCarthy's selections for the panel investigating the Jan. 6 riots. McCarthy responded by removing all Republican lawmakers from the committee that he had picked; the only two Republicans on the committee, Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), were selected by Pelosi.

Then, last week, Pelosi called McCarthy a "moron" for opposing her face mask requirement for all U.S. House members. Many of the same voices condemning McCarthy for his joke on Saturday were praising Pelosi last week for insulting McCarthy.

Pelosi says GOP leader McCarthy is a 'moron' for opposing renewed mask mandates in US House



The U.S. House of Representatives will reinstate universal mask requirements for all members, even though most lawmakers are vaccinated, a mandate that is being opposed by GOP leadership. Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) blasted the mask mandate as anti-science, for which he was labeled a "moron" by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

On Tuesday, Capitol physician Brian Monahan sent a memo announcing that masks will be required in areas of the Capitol controlled by the House, The Hill reported. It's a decision that comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance recommending that vaccinated people should wear masks in high-risk areas where the COVID-19 Delta variant is spreading.

Republicans have criticized the new guidance, complaining that the CDC is sending mixed messages about the effectiveness of vaccines.

"Vaccines work and vaccinated Americans should not have to wear masks," McCarthy said on social media Tuesday. "By forcing vaccinated Americans to return to masks, the Biden administration is not only casting doubt on a safe and effective vaccine but contradicting why vaccines exist."

Vaccines work and vaccinated Americans should not have to wear masks. By forcing vaccinated Americans to return t… https://t.co/xDQ5QdRhJQ

— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) 1627422589.0

"Make no mistake—The threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by liberal government officials who want to continue to live in a perpetual pandemic state," McCarthy said.

Make no mistake—The threat of bringing masks back is not a decision based on science, but a decision conjured up by… https://t.co/UcujZKZP8z

— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) 1627439344.0

Mask mandates in the Capitol were dropped last month after the CDC initially said vaccinated people did not need to wear masks because they were protected from the virus. But the highly contagious Delta variant has been shown to be transmissible among vaccinated people, as demonstrated by a group of Texas Democrats that spread COVID-19 to a vaccinated White House official and a Pelosi staffer.

While most vaccinated people will not contract COVID-19, there are rare instances of breakthrough infections where a vaccinated person may get sick but will only experience mild symptoms because their immune system has been taught to fight off infection by the vaccine. The major concern with breakthrough infections is that vaccinated people may spread the coronavirus to someone who is unvaccinated and vulnerable to hospitalization or death from COVID-19.

Monahan justified the reimplementation of mask mandates by explaining that some members of Congress travel to the Capitol from areas of the country with large populations of unvaccinated people and could carry the Delta variant with them.

Pelosi supports the decision, telling reporters Wednesday that coronavirus restrictions are "the purview of the Capitol Physician ... the mandate from him. I have nothing to say about that except we honor it."

Asked about McCarthy's opposition, she said, "he's such a moron."