When he first came to Congress, Patrick McHenry was the kind of Republican rabble-rouser who might get compared to a rabid fox — a wily politician ready to snap at any Democrat unfortunate enough to get between him and a camera.
Over the course of nearly two decades in Washington, though, McHenry matured into the sort of lawmaker who eschewed the spotlight for the proverbial smoke-filled rooms where legislative deals could be made. And so, when an actual rabid fox bit him last year, McHenry didn’t try to use it to garner sympathy or raise his profile. Instead, he confessed it only months after the fact, during a more than 10-hour Financial Services Committee markup, to illustrate his desire to work with Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., on legislation to limit the inclusion of medical debt on credit reports after he received debt collection notices on the rabies shots.
“I’m running in front of the Capitol right by the Native American Museum, 5:30 in the morning, and I’m wearing, well, running gear … I wish to be honest, running tights,” McHenry said. “This thing catches me in the corner of my eye, and I kind of run a little faster — obviously not fast enough — and it nips me in the calf. … I yelled another F-word, not ‘fox,’ and so there I am, screaming … at 5:30 in the morning.”
