Kevin McCarthy says hard-right Republican campaign to oust him was ‘personal’
Kevin McCarthy did have some criticism for his nemesis, Matt Gaetz – who led the charge against him.
“It was personal,” McCarthy said of Gaetz’s motivations. “It all was about getting attention.”
And, McCarthy, said “it was all about his ethics” – apparently referencing the ethics investigation into allegations against Gaetz of sexual misconduct, including sex trafficking and sex with a minor, illicit drug use and misuse of campaign funds.
As my colleague Lauren Gambino wrote in her profile of the controversial far-right representative, Gaetz initially led the bid to block McCarthy from ever becoming speaker, and has often dangled the thread to remove him.
Earlier this year, Gaetz led the bid to block McCarthy from becoming speaker, relenting on the 15th round of balloting after McCarthy consented to concessions. Among promises McCarthy made to hard-right lawmakers was to allow any member to bring a motion to remove the speaker from the leadership position.
Gaetz and other far-right members threatened to deploy the tactic if McCarthy relied on Democratic votes to pass any spending legislation, as he did over the weekend to narrowly avert a government shutdown. On Monday, Gaetz filed the motion that resulted in McCarthy’s removal.
Gaetz has argued that he is acting in the interest of the American people and Republican voters who want McCarthy to stand up to the president, even if that means risking a debt default or a government shutdown.
McCarthy has charged that Gaetz was motivated by vengeance after McCarthy declined to interfere in a congressional investigation into Gaetz’s conduct. Over the past two years, the House ethics committee has been leading an inquiry into allegations of sexual misconduct, including sex trafficking and sex with a minor, illicit drug use and misuse of campaign funds, among others.
In February, the justice department declined to bring charges against Gaetz, who had maintained his innocence throughout.
“I am the most investigated man in the United States Congress,” Gaetz told reporters on Monday, insinuating that the inquiry was an effort to smear him. “It seems that the ethics committee’s interest in me waxes and wanes based on my relationship with the speaker.”
We’re ending our live coverage for the day and will be closing this blog shortly.
Here is a brief recap of where things stand:
On Tuesday afternoon Kevin McCarthy became the first speaker of the House in US history to be removed from the position. Far-right Republicans voted with Democrats voted to vacate the speaker, who served a tumultuous nine months in the role.
The removal was a victory for Matt Gaetz, a hard-right Republican who has had it out for McCarthy from the start. Gaetz introduced a motion to vacate the speaker after he worked with House Democrats to pass a stopgap spending bill, known as a continuing resolution, to extend government funding through 17 November.
McCarthy confirmed to reporters that he wouldn’t run for speaker again, leaving it unclear who will replace him. Republicans intend to scrounge up candidates on Tuesday, and vote for a new speaker next Wednesday.
North Carolina Republican Patrick McHenry has now taken over as House speaker pro tempore, or “for the time being.” McHenry is the chair of the financial services committee, and voted against removing McCarthy. The House will be out for the next week, and it remains unclear who would have the support to become the next speaker. Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican who was once reported to have called himself “David Duke without the baggage”, is one possibility.
You can read my colleague Joan E Greve’s full story on McCarthy being removed as US House speaker at the link below:
Immediately following Tuesday’s 216-210 ouster vote, the North Carolina Republican representative Patrick McHenry, a McCarthy ally, was appointed acting speaker for a very limited time – up to three legislative days in this case.
So who is McHenry?
The New York Times describes him as a one-time “rabble-rousing presence on the House floor and on cable news shows” who now “has a reputation among other lawmakers for brainy wonkishness”.
The profile continues:
“Among the potential candidates to succeed Mr McCarthy, Mr McHenry is the only one who voted to certify the 2020 presidential election. On Saturday, he voted with Democrats for the stopgap spending measure to keep the government open.
“Mr McHenry, though, seems unlikely to take on the role permanently. He chose not to run for a leadership role last year, deciding to lead the financial services committee instead.”
According to Politico, McHenry “rose through the House GOP by bashing the government’s economic rescue plans in the wake of the global financial crisis”, but has gone from what one commentator quoted by Politico described as, “the GOP’s attack dog-in-training” and another as, “extremely right-wing” to being “methodical” and a “peacemaker”.
He “defended McCarthy’s role asspeaker on Tuesday evening, urging his Republican colleagues to reconsider voting to vacate the speaker,” the Hill reports, with McHenry saying:
“Why would we give up a conservative working majority for better outcomes and hand the keys over to the Democrats?”
Until a House speaker is installed, it is unlikely that further action will be taken on bills to fund the government, Reuters reports, with lawmakers facing a 17 November deadline to provide more money or face a partial government shutdown.
Republican lawmakers said they would need at least a week to choose a new speaker, which will eat into the time necessary to pass that needed legislation.
Battles over those bills and anger over McCarthy‘s failure to win extremely deep spending cuts sought by hard-right conservatives sparked the successful move by Representative Matt Gaetz to unseat him.
The acting speaker’s duties are vague, according to a guide to the chamber’s rules and procedures: that person “may exercise such authorities of the office of speaker as may be necessary and appropriate pending the election of a speaker or speaker pro tempore”.
While the speaker sets the overall legislative agenda in the House, it is the House majority leader who schedules specific bills to be debated and voted upon in the chamber.
Kelly Armstrong, a Republican representative, told reporters that McHenry’s main task will be to “get us a new speaker”. Anything further, he said, would spark a move to oust McHenry.
What are House Democrats doing? The House’s 221 Republicans and 212 Democrats huddled privately to figure out their next steps – both political and legislative.
Each party was expected to try to settle on a candidate for speaker. That’s fairly easy for Democrats as they are solidly behind the minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, who ran for speaker in January against McCarthy and other candidates.
Who can run for speaker? Under the US constitution, the House speaker does not have to be a member of Congress. That is the reason some Republicans have floated the name of former President Donald Trump for the job, even though he is running for president and has said he does not want the job.
The Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison says meanwhile that today’s events are an example of the “feckless, incompetent and chaotic Republican leadership that has done nothing but bend the knee to Donald Trump and make a mockery of our institutions”.
In its statement, it called Democrats the “adults in the room” and said “enough is enough”:
“Ladies and gentlemen, these are the Maga Republicans of the 118th Congress. Since House Republicans assumed the majority in January, we have witnessed time and again the feckless, incompetent and chaotic Republican leadership that has done nothing but bend the knee to Donald Trump and make a mockery of our institutions. Enough is enough; the American people expect a government that serves them – not the egos of Donald Trump and Maga extremists in Congress. In the midst of Republican chaos and incompetence, Democrats will continue to be the adults in the room and fight to deliver for the American people like we have every single day since President Biden was sworn into office.”
The Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has released a statement on McCarthy, saying, “Speaker’s tenure was bookended by historic fights, but as he reminded his colleagues when he took the gavel, ‘our nation is worth fighting for.’”
Earlier on Tuesday, McConnell told a reporter he was “pulling” for McCarthy to keep his job as speaker. McConnell also backs continued assistance for Ukraine, in a point of difference with the far-right members who ousted McCarthy.
McConnell’s statement continues:
“The Speaker’s appetite for worthy causes steered a narrow majority to seize historic opportunities for the American people and for conservative principles. His willingness to face the biggest challenges head-on helped preserve the full faith and credit of the United States and showed colleagues how to handle every outcome with grace.
“Speaker McCarthy brought the hopes, dreams, and concerns of the people of California’s 20th congressional district to the highest reaches of our national conversation. He embraced his role as foremost steward of the Capitol, welcoming American families to the center of their representative democracy.
“I am particularly grateful to the speaker for our close working partnership. As congressional Republicans continue the essential work begun during his tenure, Speaker McCarthy’s unapologetic patriotism and unshakeable optimism will remain a valuable guide.”
Hi, this is Helen Sullivan taking over our live US politics news.
If you’re just joining us, here’s a quick recap :
On Tuesday afternoon Kevin McCarthy became the first speaker of the House in US history to be removed from the position. Far-right Republicans voted with Democrats to vacate the speaker, who served a tumultuous nine months in the role.
The removal was a victory for Matt Gaetz, a hard-right Republican who has had it out for McCarthy from the start. Gaetz introduced a motion to vacate the speaker after he worked with House Democrats to pass a stopgap spending bill, known as a continuing resolution, to extend government funding through 17 November.
McCarthy confirmed to reporters that he wouldn’t run for speaker again, leaving it unclear who will replace him. Republicans intend to scrounge up candidates on Tuesday, and vote for a new speaker next Wednesday.
The North Carolina Republican Patrick McHenry has now taken over as House speaker pro tempore, or “for the time being.” McHenry is the chair of the financial services committee, and voted against removing McCarthy. The House will be out for the next week, and it remains unclear who would have the support to become the next speaker. Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican who was once reported to have called himself “David Duke without the baggage”, is one possibility.
Kevin McCarthy says hard-right Republican campaign to oust him was ‘personal’
Kevin McCarthy did have some criticism for his nemesis, Matt Gaetz – who led the charge against him.
“It was personal,” McCarthy said of Gaetz’s motivations. “It all was about getting attention.”
And, McCarthy, said “it was all about his ethics” – apparently referencing the ethics investigation into allegations against Gaetz of sexual misconduct, including sex trafficking and sex with a minor, illicit drug use and misuse of campaign funds.
As my colleague Lauren Gambino wrote in her profile of the controversial far-right representative, Gaetz initially led the bid to block McCarthy from ever becoming speaker, and has often dangled the thread to remove him.
Earlier this year, Gaetz led the bid to block McCarthy from becoming speaker, relenting on the 15th round of balloting after McCarthy consented to concessions. Among promises McCarthy made to hard-right lawmakers was to allow any member to bring a motion to remove the speaker from the leadership position.
Gaetz and other far-right members threatened to deploy the tactic if McCarthy relied on Democratic votes to pass any spending legislation, as he did over the weekend to narrowly avert a government shutdown. On Monday, Gaetz filed the motion that resulted in McCarthy’s removal.
Gaetz has argued that he is acting in the interest of the American people and Republican voters who want McCarthy to stand up to the president, even if that means risking a debt default or a government shutdown.
McCarthy has charged that Gaetz was motivated by vengeance after McCarthy declined to interfere in a congressional investigation into Gaetz’s conduct. Over the past two years, the House ethics committee has been leading an inquiry into allegations of sexual misconduct, including sex trafficking and sex with a minor, illicit drug use and misuse of campaign funds, among others.
In February, the justice department declined to bring charges against Gaetz, who had maintained his innocence throughout.
“I am the most investigated man in the United States Congress,” Gaetz told reporters on Monday, insinuating that the inquiry was an effort to smear him. “It seems that the ethics committee’s interest in me waxes and wanes based on my relationship with the speaker.”
Reporters on the Hill say that many Democrats were initially open to backing McCarthy in exchange for his cooperation to keep the government running. Then they saw him bashing Democrats on Face of the Nation.
Democrat James Clyburn told reporters that McCarthy’s discrediting of House Democrats changed their minds.
.@RepJamesClyburn to reporters today just outside chamber as House voted on motion to vacate: “For McCarthy to go on TV the next day [after CR passed] and saying to all the media that the Democrats did this, the Democrats did that, it was all our fault….everybody got very upset”
The former speaker said that the eight Republicans who voted to remove him banded with Democrats to do so, in a way pushing back against the hard-right contingency that accused him of partnering with the Democrats in working to keep the government funded.
He also wouldn’t say whether he’ll stay in Congress.
“I made history, didn’t I?” said McCarthy, which is true – though it’s not the sort of history most speakers would want to make.
The ousted speaker briefly referred to the eight hard-right Republicans who joined 208 Democrats to remove him from his post, saying: “This country is too great for small visions of those eight.”
“I’m not quite sure those individuals are looking to be productive,” he said, and also: “They don’t get to say they’re conservative because they’re angry and chaotic.”
But he saved his harshest criticism for the Democrats, who he blamed for the day’s events. “I think today was a political decision by the Democrats. And I think the things they have done in the past hurt the institution,” he said.