Kevin McCarthy's endorsement of Donald Trump's election lies should disqualify him from serving as House speaker, according to a pair of prominent conservatives.
The California Republican is facing a leadership challenge from his party's right-wing flank, but The Bulwark editor-at-large William Kristol and University of Texas government professor Jeffrey Tulis argued that he should not be allowed to serve after he voted against certifying President Joe Biden's election win.
"This is the first election for speaker of the House since the events of January 6th, when a violent mob attacked Congress in an attempt to overturn a constitutional election and the peaceful and constitutional transfer of power," Kristol and Tulis wrote.
"The new speaker — the first post-January 6th speaker — should not be an election denier," the pair added. "The new speaker should not be any of the 147 representatives and senators who went along with the mob and voted to reject the electors from Arizona and Pennsylvania. The constitutional officer second in line to the presidency should not be someone who tried to overturn the last election for the presidency."
Trump loyalists want to deny McCarthy the office he covets, but Kristol and Tulis called for public-spirited Republicans to reach out to Democrats and agree to put forward a candidate who would not pose a threat to the constitutional order.
"In his speech and action, Kevin McCarthy has shown no evidence that he cares about the constitutional order," they wrote. "His focus is entirely on the political prospects of his party. His preoccupation is understandable for a party leader. But he now seeks to be elevated from a partisan to a constitutional officer without demonstrating any evident sense of the national responsibility the new role entails."
