Tennessee Congressman Tim Burchett is standing by his story that deposed Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy elbowed him in the hallways of the Capitol on Tuesday during a heated clash.

Burchett is one of the eight Republicans who voted McCarthy out last month, and Burchett told DailyMail.com the hallway fight was their first interaction since McCarthy was fired from the speakership. 

McCarthy denied elbowing colleague Burchett in a press scrum later Tuesday, claiming the Tennessee congressman would ‘know it’ if he did because he’d be ‘on the ground.’ 

However, speaking to Fox Tuesday evening, Burchett doubled down and not only confirmed the story but called it another example of McCarthy’s political career going down the drain and why he and his colleagues had enough of him as speaker.

‘I’m afraid it’s just a sad asterisk on the end of his career as he spirals out of control,’ Burchett said.

Tennessee Congressman Tim Burchett is standing by his story that deposed Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy elbowed him in the hallways of the Capitol on Tuesday during a heated clash

He said he doesn’t know why McCarthy attacked him but believes it had to do with being one of the eight Republicans who helped take him out of power.

‘This is just indicative… really, shows America the reason the eight of us chose to vote out Kevin McCarthy,’ he said.

He went on to criticize McCarthy’s attempt to pass a ‘pork-filled’ budget, leaving new speaker Patrick Johnson – whom Burchett called ‘an honorable man’ – with less than two weeks to pass a new one.

Earlier Tuesday, the Tennessee Republican called McCarthy ‘pathetic’ and said ‘you got no guts’ after the former speaker allegedly shoved him during the heated clash on Tuesday.

McCarthy responded by telling CNN that Burchett would’ve felt it if he’d actually hit him. 

‘If I hit somebody, they would know it. If I kidney punched someone, they would be on the ground,’ McCarthy told reporters after the incident.  

According to McCarthy’s retelling of the story, ‘I guess our shoulders hit. Because Burchett runs up to me afterwards. I didn’t know what he’s talking about.’

The incident unfolded when McCarthy was with his security detail in the Capitol, according to NPR reporter Claudia Grisales, who was there at the time.

McCarthy denied elbowing colleague Burchett in a press scrum later Tuesday, claiming the Tennessee congressman would ‘know it’ if he did because he’d be ‘on the ground’ 

Speaking to Fox Tuesday evening, Burchett doubled down and not only confirmed the story but called it another example of McCarthy’s political career going down the drain and why he and his colleagues had enough of him as speaker

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Burchett later confirmed that her account of what happened was accurate. 

‘Burchett responded jokingly as McCarthy kept walking, “Sorry Kevin didn’t mean to elbow –” then seriously yelled, “why’d you elbow me in the back Kevin?! Hey Kevin, you got any guts!?’ Grisales tweeted.

‘You’re pathetic man, you are so pathetic,’ Burchett said to McCarthy, according to Grisales. 

After the incident Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who was not present at the incident, filed a formal ethics complaint against McCarthy. 

Burchett later told reporters the shove was not meant as a joke and was hard enough that he could still feel it. 

‘It was a clean shot to the kidney,’ he said. 

Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark) who was walking and talking with McCarthy during the incident, said he did not see any shove. 

‘We walked by Burchett and next thing I know he’s yelling at McCarthy,’ he told DailyMail.com. 

Burchett is one of the eight Republicans who voted McCarthy out, and the pair have had an extremely frosty relationship since October

Of McCarthy, Burchett said: ‘He’s just a bully with $17 million and a security detail.’ 

‘He’s beat and he knows it. All his tricks to throw us into bedlam didn’t work,’ Burchett said, referring to whispers that McCarthy was quietly working to undermine candidates looking to succeed him during the speaker’s race. 

Burchett scoffed when asked if he would introduce a motion to censure McCarthy for getting physical. 

‘Heck no man I’m from East Tennessee. If I’m gonna handle it we’ll do it out in the parking lot. Look I’m not gonna be fighting or anything. It would be a very short fist fight, I can tell you that.’ 

The Tennessee Republican went on: ‘It’s like a kid who throws a rock over a fence and runs home and hides behind his mama’s skirt. He’s got his security detail around him so nobody’s gonna be able to do anything. Why does he still have the security detail is the question.’ 

Asked whether he thought McCarthy would finish out his term as a rank-and-file member, Burchett told DailyMail.com: ‘I don’t know. I’d say he’s gonna cash in, wouldn’t you?’