Former House Speaker John Boehner said that Alaska Rep. Don Young once held a 10-inch knife to his throat in the House chamber when the two disagreed about earmarks.

Young, who called the account "mostly true," later became close friends with Boehner, who served as his best man in his 2015 wedding.



Former House Speaker John Boehner said Alaska Rep. Don Young once pinned him against a wall in the House chamber and held a 10-inch knife to his throat after Boehner attacked the congressman for accepting earmarks.

"Boehner says he stared Young in the eyes and said, 'F--- you,'" wrote Politico reporter Tim Alberta in a lengthy profile of Boehner published over the weekend.

Boehner eventually managed to eradicate the House's practice of earmarking federal funding for local pet projects in lawmakers' home states.

But the animosity between the two Republicans didn't last long — they later became close friends, and Boehner served as Young's best man in his 2015 wedding.

Young told Politico that Boehner's account is "mostly true" and later defended himself in a Facebook post, calling the incident "friendly back and forth banter" and saying that every time the former Speaker tells the story, it becomes slightly more dramatic.

"John actually loves this story, I've heard him tell it multiple times — once at my wedding in 2015 as my best man. Each and every time, that knife gets a little bigger and gets a little bit closer," he wrote. "One thing is true, the story always ends with an 'F' you.'"