In a reflection of the heightened tensions within the House Republican conference, GOP Rep. Tim Burchett accused Kevin McCarthy of elbowing him in the back during a conversation with a reporter after the party’s conference meeting on Tuesday morning.

Burchett informed CNN that as he was talking to a reporter in the hallway outside the meeting, McCarthy pushed past him with his security detail.

Burchett asserted that he followed McCarthy and engaged in a conversation with him, CNN reported.

When approached by CNN’s Melanie Zanona, McCarthy denied the incident, stating, “I didn’t shove or elbow him; it’s a tight hallway.”

Burchett, who was among the eight Republicans voting to remove McCarthy, has been openly critical of the former speaker.

The alleged altercation adds to the current high-pressure atmosphere within the House GOP.

Later in the day, speaking to CNN again, Burchett criticized McCarthy, labeling him a “bully” and recounting the incident as McCarthy elbowing him in the kidneys.

Written by B.C. Begley