Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) is facing scrutiny after new video surfaced showing him taunting a protester before a brief physical confrontation.
Initially, Burchett claimed the protester bumped him, prompting a defensive reaction. However, Politico reported that two videos — including one provided by Burchett’s staff — show the congressman calling the protester over and mocking him.
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Burchett reportedly said, “Come over here weenie,” to a protester who had been criticizing his support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza. The protester responded, “You just came to me, dodo brain.”
During the confrontation, Burchett accused the man of being paid by Democratic donor George Soros. When the protester walked away, Burchett called him “quivering,” leading to a brief contact in which Burchett shoved the man with both hands.
Burchett’s spokesperson, Will Garrett, defended the congressman, saying, “They bumped stomachs and the congressman removed him from his face. People have a protected First Amendment right to protest… but they don’t have the right to physically bump into the congressman and the congressman acted in self-defense.”
This incident is not Burchett’s first physical altercation on Capitol Hill. In 2023, he accused former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of elbowing him after Burchett voted to strip McCarthy of the gavel, calling McCarthy a “bully.”
