Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., got into a physical altercation with an anti-Israel protester Thursday outside the Longworth House Office Building, shoving the man after he intentionally bumped the Tennessee Republican congressman.
The incident occurred shortly after final House votes of the week. The unidentified protester confronted Burchett about his stance on the Israel-Hamas war and got in the congressman’s face before bumping him with his body.
Burchett responded by forcefully shoving the protester.
“Everyone has a right to their opinion, and they can say all of the filthy stuff they want. But they don’t have the right to bump the congressman,” Will Garrett, Burchett’s spokesperson, said in a statement.
Capitol Police officers questioned the protester after the incident but released him without charges. The department told the Washington Examiner that “for safety reasons, we cannot discuss any potential investigations.”
Burchett later simply said the protester “had bad breath.”
The 61-year-old congressman is a staunch ally of Israel who introduced a House resolution in June rejecting the United Nations’ decision to put the Israeli Defense Force on a list of children’s rights abusers. Burchett called the UN move a “stunt” and a “total joke.”
Burchett has a reputation for a fierce wit when responsing to critics. In March, he delivered pointed responses to a protester who approached him about national security issues.
“Do you trust Trump’s national security team to keep our war plans top secret?” the questioner asked.
“Do you trust your mother every night to fix your Hot Pockets and make sure your Game Boy is turned on?” Burchett fired back.
Republican Congressman Tim Burchett responds to a young man asking him whether he “trusts Trump's national security team to keep our war plans secret?"
BURCHETT: "Do you trust your mom every night to fix your hot pockets and make sure your Gameboy is turned on?” pic.twitter.com/y2Avt2raFu
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) April 2, 2025
Take a look at another one —
😂Rep Tim Burchett is Savage😂 pic.twitter.com/U8OrL0doCi
— 🇺🇸 𝓐𝓟𝓡𝓘𝓛 𝓢𝓟𝓐𝓡𝓚𝓢 🇺🇸 (@AprilSpark1890) September 4, 2025
The Tennessee congressman has shown he will not back down from physical confrontations. He previously had an altercation with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy after voting to remove McCarthy from his leadership role.
Capitol Police said they’re investigating the incident but have not announced whether any charges will be filed against the protester.