“The View ”star“ ”calls Kevin McCarthy a ‘coward’ for allegedly elbowing fellow congressman in the kidneys

"It takes a coward to punch someone in the back."

Sunny Hostin isn’t holding back about her feelings toward Republican congressman Kevin McCarthy. 

The View host called the former House Speaker a "thug" and a "coward" during a discussion about how McCarthy allegedly elbowed fellow congressman Tim Burchett in the kidneys on Wednesday’s episode. (McCarthy has denied Burchett's claim, telling CNN: "I didn’t shove or elbow him. It’s a tight hallway.")

“It takes a coward to punch someone in the back,” Hostin said. “It takes a coward, but we know Kevin McCarthy is a coward, so if he truly did do this, it tracks."

Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin also noted that former representative Adam Kinzinger previously claimed that McCarthy “shoulder checked him on two different occasions” in his book. In response, Hostin remarked, “So McCarthy is a thug.” 

When asked by Joy Behar if Griffin thought that McCarthy had actually elbowed Burchett, she responded, “I believe it because there was an NPR reporter who witnessed it and I think sometimes with politics people tend to lie, but a journalist who has no dog in the fight, she saw the whole thing.”

McCarthy and Burchett’s alleged altercation was part of a larger conversation at the Hot Topics table about the multiple fights that erupted in congress yesterday, with Sara Haines expressing her confusion over “why congress is never treated like a regular job.”

“If you want to start calling your co-worker names, you’re probably going to HR. If you touch them in the kidney or any other place, you’re probably going to get fired. When your company shuts down, you’re not paid. And if you have conflict of interest or trade secrets, fired. You’re gonna see a theme here,” she said. “That never happens in congress. There’s no consequences. They get a slap on the wrist and then they go try to legislate the country. They have a big role and yet they never get in trouble.”

Hostin agreed that such behavior was "beneath the dignity of the office," claiming that it was former president Donald Trump who “peeled the bandaid off” and made it acceptable to act that way as an elected official. “What is shocking to me is those are the people that want to call other people thugs,” she added. “Well, that’s some thuggery we just saw.”

“My first thought was how many times have we heard women are too emotional to lead?" Griffin asked. "Like, did anyone ask these men are they on their periods? Because this is absurd.... Any other job in America, those things would not be okay but, for some reason, it’s okay in congress.”

Whoopi Goldberg also noted that this behavior is "not a good look for kids to see" either. "This is why I get freaked out with y'all, because I can't figure out what's upsetting you," she said. "You're nervous, so you don't want drag queens reading books, but you will throw down in the middle of a committee meeting and not give it a thought?"

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