“We’re getting email fundraisers from him as he’s doing it,” McCarthy said.īut the former speaker placed a larger share of the blame for the intra-Republican battle on the opposing party, saying: “I think today was a political decision by the Democrats.” He said the Florida congressman was not a true conservative, and that his goal had been to attract attention and campaign donations. Gaetz had been motivated by a “personal” vendetta against him, related to the Congressional ethics inquiry into his behavior, including allegations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and misuse of campaign funds, McCarthy told reporters. He noted that he had helped many of the Republicans who voted against him get elected in the first place, quipping to a CNN reporter: “I should have picked somebody else.” McCarthy dismissed the eight Republicans who voted against him, saying: “This country is too great for small visions of those eight,” and calling them “individuals” who were not “looking to be productive”. And yes, optimism,” McCarthy said, citing Teddy Roosevelt’s quote about the man who “ fails while daring greatly”. “I leave the speakership with a sense of pride and accomplishment. Speaking to reporters Tuesday night to confirm that he would not run for speaker again, McCarthy said: “I wouldn’t change a thing.” He said he was open to supporting several “honorable men” as McCarthy’s replacement, adding: “They’ve never openly mocked me, anyway.” Tim Burchett of Tennessee told CNN that McCarthy had “said something that I thought belittled me and my belief system” in a phone call. South Carolina congresswoman Nancy Mace said McCarthy “has not lived up to his word on how the House would operate”, and argued that the chaos in Congress would be worse with McCarthy in charge than without him. The eight Republicans who joined with Democrats to vote McCarthy out offered a range of reasons. Multiple Republican members of Congress told CNN that they expected to discuss whether Gaetz should be expelled from the Republican conference as a consequence for his behavior, though they did not say whether they personally would support the measure. “Chaos is never America’s strength and it’s never a friend of American families that are struggling,” Pence said at an event in Georgetown.įormer speaker of the House Newt Gingrich dubbed Gaetz an “anti-Republican” and called him “actively destructive to the conservative movement”, urging Republicans to vote to expel Gaetz from the House Republican conference. Some Republican leaders condemned McCarthy’s removal, with former vice-president and current presidential candidate Mike Pence suggesting it would undermine the GOP in the eyes of voters. House Republicans met Tuesday evening to regroup and finalize plans to, while Democrats will meet on Wednesday morning. “In the opinion of the chair, prior to proceeding to the election of a speaker, it will be prudent to first recess for the relative caucus and conferences to meet and discuss the path forward,” McHenry said. Upon taking the gavel, McHenry quickly called for a recess. McCarthy had sat stoically with his hands in his lap but when the vote finished, he threw his head back and chuckled at his own plight, as some members walked over to shake his hand.įollowing the declaration, congressman Patrick McHenry, a North Carolina Republican, was designated by McCarthy as the acting speaker until a new House leader is elected. “The office of speaker of the House of the United States House of Representatives is hereby declared vacant.” “The resolution is adopted,” congressman Steve Womack, the Arkansas Republican who presided over the session, announced after the vote. McCarthy needed a simple majority of voting members to keep his gavel but failed to cross that threshold. Amid gasps from members in the tense chamber, eight hard-right Republicans joined 208 Democrats in supporting McCarthy’s removal, as 210 Republicans tried and failed to keep the speaker in place. After McCarthy’s Republican allies failed to block the motion from moving forward, a final vote was held on Tuesday afternoon. The vote to oust McCarthy followed a motion to vacate the chair from the Florida Republican congressman Matt Gaetz.
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