Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) is ready to move Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) out of the Speaker's chair amid the debt deal made with President Joe Biden, Politico reporter Olivia Beavers revealed Tuesday.
It was something predicted by analysts who feared conservative members would try to sink the proposal and let the country ultimately default on its debts. If Biden and McCarthy agreed on something, conservatives would immediately be suspicious of it no matter what it was, they feared.
"That is not realistic with this speaker or with this House of Representatives," explained Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) last week. "If that would happen, they would certainly recall him, and they'd elect a new speaker, and McCarthy does not want to be the shortest-serving speaker in history."
Democratic strategist Kurt Bardella said that McCarthy would have to wrangle the far-right.
"You know, I think actually because of this deal coming right now, the expectation game has been well managed now because the ball's really in Kevin McCarthy's court now," said Bardella over the weekend.
"The pressure is on Kevin McCarthy to deliver the votes. If this thing falls apart now, it's going to be because of House Republicans — because of MAGA extremists — successfully holding McCarthy hostage once again, and that they are the ones who will get the blame. We will be done with this both sides narrative that each side has something to lose, that this could blow back on the president. No, no, no, no."
According to Rep. Bishop, “absolutely,” it is an option to remove McCarthy, he told Beavers. He went on to call it “inescapable," saying he thinks it must be "done" at this point. But he acknowledged it would depend on whether enough of his colleagues have the courage to move forward with it.
Thanks to the agreement made in January, it would only take one member of Congress to bring a "motion to vacate," which would force a vote on removing the speaker.
