Kevin McCarthy is floating a plan that would make him House speaker once again, but this time around he would be accompanied by Trump ally Jim Jordan as assistant speaker, NBC reports.
McCarthy was removed from the position by eight hardline Republicans including Matt Gaetz, after which McCarthy threw his support behind Jordan's speaker bid. Jordan, however, was unable to achieve the number of votes needed to get the gavel. Then, several other Republicans similarly failed to get the votes.
Now, there is a new plan under which the two would join forces, according to NBC.
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"Amid the impasse, McCarthy is floating a plan that would reinstall him as speaker and make Jordan, a conservative Trump ally, the assistant speaker, according to three sources familiar with McCarthy’s pitch," the outlet reported.
NBC asked why this was happening at this point in time, and was reportedly told that the Republicans are "desperate."
"Asked why the idea — which lacks key details, like how it would be enacted and whether it could even gain enough traction to happen — was being floated now, a GOP lawmaker replied: 'We’re desperate," NBC reported. "While the idea might seem far-fetched and it has not been pitched broadly within the GOP Conference, it is being discussed among some Republicans after Emmer, the third GOP nominee, dropped his bid. A source briefed on the idea likened it to the Speaker Nancy Pelosi/Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark arrangement that the Democrats had."
The outlet further reports that McCarthy "melted down" in conference meetings on Tuesday.
"He had two 'outbursts' behind closed doors today, the sources say, that were about his objections to quickly moving to a nominating vote for Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., the runner-up to Emmer, the lawmakers said," NBC reported.
