GOP lawmakers angry about being 'hung out to dry' after Kevin McCarthy came out against Jan. 6 Commission

On Wednesday, POLITICO reported that many House Republicans are angry at House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for blindsiding them when he came out publicly against the January 6th Commission. Some of them had already moved to support the measure after Democrats offered McCarthy his key demands on how to structure the inquiry.

Part of the issue, according to the report, is that the bill was co-written by a moderate Republican, Rep. John Katko of New York, who McCarthy had given imprimatur to negotiate for a bill acceptable to Republicans — which many thought he had made before McCarthy's sudden switch.

"More moderate lawmakers feel like Katko was hung out to dry and are worried they no longer have enough political cover to vote for the bill, which Democrats are already signaling they'll use as a cudgel in the midterms," reported Melanie Zanona, Nicholas Wu, and Olivia Beavers. "Those same members have grumbled that McCarthy too often caters to the right flank because he needs their support to become speaker one day."

"It's the same set of tricky internal dynamics that will undoubtedly hound McCarthy if Republicans win back the House and he runs for the speakership," said the report. "And while no one in the conference thinks this latest episode will be a deciding factor in his path to 218 votes, it has shown how McCarthy's hallmark attempts to please everyone can easily backfire, leaving some members feeling frustrated."

The House passed the bill to establish the commission on Wednesday afternoon, with dozens of Republicans voting in favor of it despite McCarthy's opposition. It now heads to the Senate, where Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is also against it but some GOP senators are signaling they will back it.