All posts tagged "mccarthy"

'Moved to tears': GOPer targets colleagues who booted McCarthy in 'super snarky' letter

Matt Gaetz and Nancy Mace were among the Republicans who received a "super snarky" letter from a colleague on Saturday.

Gaetz and seven other Republican representatives were responsible for booting Kevin McCarthy from the speakership, which resulted in the ongoing chaos we're seeing right now. Those eight far-right Republicans pushed hard to elect Jim Jordan as the new speaker and, when it became clear he couldn't clear the needed votes, they offered a "pound of flesh" in the form of potential censure, as long as Jordan is the new speaker.

That offer was apparently not appreciated by California Republican Rep. Tom McClintock. McClintock has reportedly pushed for the reinstallation of McCarthy to the speaker position.

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?

In a letter addressed to his eight "wayward colleagues," McClintock took the "martyrs" to task.

"Your letter of October 20, in which you graciously offer to martyr yourselves as long as you can get your way, is perhaps the most selfless act in American history," he began in the letter. "We truly don't deserve you."

The congressman also sarcastically needled the notion that the minority should be controlling the rest of the GOP conference.

"But your sacrifice is not in vain," the letter says. "You have succeeded in replacing the outdated concept of majority rule with an exciting new standard that a Speaker must be elected by 98.2 percent of the Republican conference."

He continued:

"Someday, a messiah will be born unto us who can achieve this miraculous threshold, and on that day your judgment will be vindicated and you will be hailed as the geniuses that you are."

The letter was flagged by Politico Congress reported Olivia Beavers. She said, "Super snarky McClintock letter to the 8 who voted to oust McCarthy… 'we truly don’t deserve you,'" Beavers wrote Saturday. "Notes the world burning too."

'Divine providence': Matt Gaetz says God was behind him on McCarthy ousting

Rep. Matt Gaetz on Thursday suggested God was going to choose the next House speaker.

Gaetz, who pushed for the removal of prior speaker Kevin McCarthy after months of infighting, appeared on a podcast called Fearless with Jason Whitlock, where he discussed the recent developments.

In a clip posted by the host, Gaetz can be seen talking about the role of God in his decision.

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?

"The Bible tells us a lot about this, Jason," Gaetz said. He added that "the kings do emerge" when humans are put in a rough spot.

"There is divine providence in all of this," Gaetz said Thursday, adding that he "knows" God's will will be done when there is a new speaker.

You can watch the video below or click the link here.

Far-right lawmaker buried in hometown newspaper over vote for 'chaos'

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), one of eight Republicans who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy as House speaker earlier this week, was torched in The Arizona Republic by E.J. Montini for trying to pretend he didn't vote for "chaos."

"When it comes to the aftermath of ousting Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs disagrees with … everybody," wrote Montini. Even former House Speaker Newt Gingrich effectively called Biggs and his cohorts "traitors," Montini noted, saying, "Ninety-six percent of Republicans voted for McCarthy. 4% voted against him. From my position as a longtime Republican activist, they are traitors. All eight of them should, in fact, be primaried. They should all be driven out of public life. What they did was go to the other team to cause utter chaos."

Biggs, speaking to constituents, denied that — but no one is really buying that, wrote Montini.

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?

“I would fundamentally disagree with that premise. We’re not in chaos right now,” said Biggs in a video addressing questions he's received from voters. "He said that removing McCarthy was 'done by the book.' He said, 'It may be not pretty. It may seem conflictual,' but added, 'I think things are moving along,'" wrote Montini. "Just about everyone in Washington — and everywhere else — would disagree with him. But I don’t believe that’s an unusual situation for Biggs."

With the speaker ousted, normal business in the House is effectively paralyzed until a new speaker is selected. Top candidates for that role appear to be House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH).

Montini concluded by noting that Biggs said he can't name who he would want to be House speaker in McCarthy's place, because that person would "be immediately disqualified" among many GOP lawmakers by his endorsement. "Imagine that," wrote Montini. "Imagine being part of a collective like the House Republican caucus in which your opinion carries that much negative weight."

There's a surprising Trump ally behind the latest GOP drama: report

The recent House GOP infighting that led to a blow up in the removal of Kevin McCarthy's speakership can reportedly be traced to an ally of the ex-president.

Steve Bannon has been orchestrating several aspects from his "cavelike" podcast studio, the New York Times reported Wednesday. Bannon is a former Trump adviser whose associate was recently sentenced to prison time for a "Build the Wall" scheme they worked on together.

The Times says Bannon "has spent years promoting the lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from former President Donald J. Trump, railing against coronavirus mandates and what he refers to as a 'criminal invasion of the southern border.'"

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?

"His obsession of late was toppling Mr. McCarthy and taking out what he describes as 'uniparty' Republicans who have become indistinguishable from Democrats," it reported.

With Mr. McCarthy’s historic downfall this week, the article states, "his wing of the party has claimed its most prominent trophy."

"Mr. Bannon represents a clear through line from the grievance-driven MAGA base to Congress. And his role in the meltdown that played out this week in the House helps explain why the Republican Party appears to be eating its own. He is a vital part of a feedback loop of red-meat media hits and social media posts, online fund-raising and unfettered preaching to an often angry and fervently right-wing base that rewards disruptions and detests institutions."

The report also describes some of the key players in ousting McCarthy, including Matt Gaetz, taking regular treks to Bannon's studio.

"Representatives Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Matt Gaetz of Florida joined Mr. Bannon on his podcast the morning after voting to oust Kevin McCarthy from his speaker post," according to the Times piece. "In past decades, right-wing rebels on Capitol Hill have encountered trouble getting real traction — shunned by lobbyists and big-money political action committees, excluded from leadership suites in the Capitol and disregarded by Fox News. But with the help of Mr. Bannon, who streams live for four hours every weekday, Mr. Gaetz and others don’t need to rely on any of that."

Read it right here.

'Men failing up is not a Constitutionally protected right': AOC blasts critics over McCarthy vote

U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) blasted critics across the political spectrum who are angered House Democrats did not vote to keep Kevin McCarthy as Speaker, after Republicans ousted him on Tuesday.

“Contrary to how McCarthy’s defenders are behaving, men failing up is not a Constitutionally protected right,” Ocasio-Cortez said on social media. “The man made risky decisions and faced the natural consequences of them. I am not his mom, and my job is not to put pool noodles around hard corners for Republicans.”

AOC also blasted 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who is now a former Democrat, after he criticized Democrats on CNN.

“Why did Dems vote along party lines to oust Kevin McCarthy? Not because they thought it was good for the country but because that’s what they were told to do,” Yang said on social media when posting his remarks.

“Yes,” Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez responded, “because strengthening someone who voted to overturn the election, held the entire US economy hostage, launched a baseless impeachment inquiry without a vote, and refuses to honor his word is what is in the best interest of this country.”

“Do some of you hear yourselves?” she asked rhetorically.

Tuesday night she also defended Democrats for not, as some have put it, “saving” McCarthy.

“Does anyone believe for one minute that McCarthy would help elect a Dem speaker ‘for the institution’?” she asked. “McCarthy’s hubris is a theme. He loudly stated he wouldn’t negotiate w/Dems, called virtually none, trashed those who helped w/CR, and then expected Dem votes for free?”

Kevin McCarthy pushed Nancy Pelosi out of her office as revenge: report

Just hours after Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) became the first House Speaker in U.S. history to be voted out of his position by Congress, interim speaker Patrick McHenry (R-NC) evicted former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) from their "hideaway" offices on Capitol Hill.

According to a new CNN report, McCarthy put McHenry up to this in revenge for House Democrats not providing the votes to save him from being ousted — and McCarthy actually plans to use the offices himself.

"Kevin McCarthy was behind interim Speaker Patrick McHenry’s move to kick former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Majority Leader Steny Hoyer out of their office spaces, two Republican sources told CNN," the outlet reported Wednesday.

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?

CNN added that "GOP Rep. Garret Graves told reporters on Wednesday that McCarthy is getting the office that McHenry has ordered her to vacate."

The news agency quoted Graves as saying, "Look the deal is that the office that Pelosi is in right now is the office of the preceding speaker. Speaker Pelosi and other Democrats determined that they wanted a new … speaker, and it’s Kevin McCarthy. So, he’s getting the office."

Graves also pushed the blame to Democrats on the issue:

“I don’t know what they’re complaining about,” Graves said, according to CNN. “They created this situation.”

Read it here.

Trump is 'almost certainly' going to violate new gag order: Legal expert

Donald Trump is almost guaranteed to violate the terms of his new gag order, and the judge might throw him in jail for it, former acting solicitor general Neal Katyal said Tuesday.

The former president was hit with the gag order earlier in the day, after he attacked the judge's law clerk in a social media post. The underlying matter is the civil fraud trial he faces in New York.

Katyal appeared on MSNBC's Alex Wagner Tonight on Tuesday, and was asked about how far a judge might be willing to go if Trump violates their order.

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?

"Well, it could mean, in an ordinary thing, if there's a gag order imposed, and it's violated, it means putting someone in jail," Katyal said, adding that Trump had to try "really hard" to get such a gag order

"It's kind of like failing kindergarten. To get a gag order imposed, you have to try. Trump managed to work at it and do it. And succeed. But it took a lot of work on his part. Now, I think the judge is basically saying, you attack a member of my staff, there will be serious sanctions, including even up to jail."

He continued:

"If we're gonna ask, is Trump gonna violate a gag order? Almost certainly, yes. It's more likely that he'll violate the gag order than almost anything... I mean, we're talking a significant probability he's going to violate the gag order."

Watch below or click the link.

Interim GOP Speaker evicts Pelosi from her Capitol Hill office: report

Following the historic ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as House speaker, one of his top lieutenants, House Financial Services Committee Chair Patrick McHenry (R-NC), is now serving as interim speaker ahead of a vote on a permanent replacement.

One of McHenry's first acts in this temporary role was to evict former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) from a "hideaway" office she uses at the Capitol, reported Politico on Tuesday evening.

"'Please vacate the space tomorrow, the room will be re-keyed,' wrote a top aide on the Republican-controlled House Administration Committee. The room was being reassigned by the acting speaker 'for speaker office use,' the email said," reported Nicholas Wu and Daniella Diaz. "House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ staff helped Pelosi’s office make the move, according to a spokesperson for the former speaker ... The former speaker blasted the eviction in a statement as 'a sharp departure from tradition,' adding that she had given former Speaker Dennis Hastert 'a significantly larger suite of offices for as long as he wished' during her tenure."

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?

Pelosi was not in D.C. to oversee the packing up of her office in person, because she is currently attending memorial services for her friend, the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who passed away at the end of last week at the age of 90. Staff for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) reportedly helped Pelosi's staff with the move.

The removal of McCarthy came after far-right Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who had for months been escalating a feud with the then-Speaker and claimed he had breached agreements made with the House Freedom Caucus to secure the votes for his Speakership, filed a "motion to vacate the chair," which due to rules McCarthy himself was forced to approve, can now be filed by a single member.

In his farewell address to reporters, McCarthy laid into Gaetz, calling the move "personal" and suggesting it was revenge for an ongoing ethics investigation into Gaetz's sexual and financial conduct.

The far right wants Trump to replace Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker

With Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) becoming the first House Speaker in U.S. history to be voted out by a resolution of Congress, the House must select a new Speaker to be able to return to regular business.

And far-right lawmakers and activists seem to have one person in mind, according to The Daily Beast: former President Donald Trump.

"Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, and even the far-right cable network Newsmax all floated the idea of Trump taking over the role Tuesday evening, just minutes after McCarthy’s ejection from House leadership," reported Chaya Tong. "The phrase 'Nominate Trump' was also trending Tuesday on Elon Musk’s social media site X, formerly known as Twitter — inspired at least in part by Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) unofficially nominating the former president via a viral tweet." Also suggesting the idea was Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) and Trump ally Rudy Giuliani.

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?

Under the Constitution, it's not actually required for a Speaker of the House to be a sitting member of the body, although in practice every Speaker since the founding of the United States has been.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who spearheaded the motion to oust McCarthy in the first place, has previously suggested naming Trump as Speaker in 2022.

Trump, who is currently running to retake the White House in 2024 and is facing four separate criminal indictments as well as a host of other legal battles, has previously indicated through a spokesperson he has "zero" desire to be House Speaker.

'It was personal': McCarthy trashes Matt Gaetz in farewell address

After becoming the first House Speaker in history to be voted out of the position by a vote of Congress, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) gave a farewell address to reporters on Tuesday.

And on his way out the door, McCarthy took a shot at Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), the far-right hardliner who called the motion to remove him in the first place.

"I don't think [the vote] says [anything] about the Republican Party; I think it says something about some people who are not a conservative," said McCarthy. "I mean, if you were conservative and you only had one entity making the battle and you vote against securing the border, you vote against cutting funding, this wasteful spending, and then you partner with all the Democrats — now you'll phrase it all the other different ways, that's not a conservative."

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to run for office?

"Look, you all know Matt Gaetz," McCarthy continued. "You know it was personal. It had nothing to do about spending. It had nothing to do about — everything he accused somebody of, he was doing. It all was about getting attention from you. I mean, we're getting email fundraisers from him as he's doing it. 'Join in quickly!' That's not governing. That's not becoming of a member of Congress."

Gaetz's real motivation, McCarthy suggested, is retaliation for the ethics investigation into allegations he engaged in sexual misconduct, drug use, bribery, and campaign finance violations.

"Regardless of what you think, I've seen the texts, it was all about his ethics," said McCarthy. "But that's all right."

Watch the video below or at the link.

Kevin McCarthy trashes Matt Gaetzwww.youtube.com