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You are here: Home / House of Representatives / McCarthy and Swalwell Get in House Floor Feud
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McCarthy and Swalwell Get in House Floor Feud

July 27, 2023 at 5:18 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) nearly came to blows when they ran into each other outside of the House chamber, the Daily Beast reports.

Said McCarthy: “If you ever say something like that to me again, I’m gonna kick the shit out of you.”

Another member provided context: “They were in each other’s faces. Basically nose-to-nose. And Swalwell said something like, ‘Are we really gonna do this?’”

After some back-and-forth, McCarthy issued a challenge to Swalwell: “Call me a pussy again, and I’ll kick your ass.”

Said Swalwell: “You. Are. A. Pussy.”

After both men stared each other down for another moment, McCarthy eventually relented.

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goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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