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When ABC reporter Rachel Scott tried to ask House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy about the Republican National Committee's decision to censure Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, he practically ran away while saying it was "not good" to answer questions in the hallway.
You can view McCarthy's attempted flight below:
I tried to ask @GOPLeader about the RNC\u2019s resolution describing Jan. 6 as \u201clegitimate political discourse\u201d \n\nHe told me to make an appointment with his office\u2026 insisting it\u2019s \u201cnot good\u201d to answer questions in hallways.pic.twitter.com/yaL8opl6Pf— Rachel Scott (@Rachel Scott) 1644350606
His excuse to Scott that answering questions in a hallway was "not good" was undermined by his own behavior earlier in the day, when he did just that.
Answering quick interviews in the hallway is pretty standard for members of congress, and Scott shared video of an exchange she had earlier in which McCarthy answered her question about whether "there was legitimate political discourse on January 6th" while walking in a hallway.
His response:
"Yeah, everybody knows there was."
Watch it below.
Earlier, Leader McCarthy did answer my question in the hallway: do you believe there was legitimate political discourse on Jan 6\n\n\u201cEveryone knows there was. Anyone who broke inside,\u201d he said.\n\nHis office later clarified he intended to say: Anyone who broke inside was not.pic.twitter.com/Nwq4Vy6IgO— Rachel Scott (@Rachel Scott) 1644351275
But it was his speedy gait through the hallway that got people's attention.
He looks like he's running a leg of the Amazing Race— Asha Rangappa (@Asha Rangappa) 1644350773
The last time McCarthy ran that fast was back on January 6th, 2021.— Bruno Amato (@Bruno Amato) 1644367197
Kevin McCarthy engaging in "legitimate political discourse":pic.twitter.com/XWN6eYzSvh— ABBA didn't get subpoenaed, (@ABBA didn't get subpoenaed,) 1644356024
Exclusive new footage of Kevin McCarthypic.twitter.com/CAtlzFQz1H— MeidasTouch.com (@MeidasTouch.com) 1644372147
The mockery was swift.
\u201cIt\u2019s not good to answer questions in the hallways\u201d until I can construct a response that shifts the focus from \u201clegitimate political discourse\u201d to \u201cWe want to look to the future not the past.\u201d Give me a minute and Ill be on Fox shortly to change the narrative.— sunnyskiesahead (@sunnyskiesahead) 1644355676
pic.twitter.com/odTSD9bFi4— Natasha\ud83d\udcabBeTheChange (@Natasha\ud83d\udcabBeTheChange) 1644353133
@GOPLeader\n\n"No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress,...who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress...to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same." Sec. 3, 14th Amendment.— AFG (@AFG) 1644352945
Even Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi got in on chastising McCarthy for running from the press. During her weekly press conference earlier today, she said:
"It's disturbing to see that the Republican leader of the House ran — actually, literally refused to condemn that resolution of legitimate political [discourse] — literally ran away from the press when he was asked about his position."
She added:
"Republicans can run, but they cannot hide from what happened on Jan. 6."
Members of the Republican party seem dead set on declaring the events of January 6th to be "legitimate political discourse," but they are loath to defend that position with logic or reason. Actually running away from reporters might be a bit over the top, though.