House Republicans express frustration with the minority leader Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy House Democrat Praises Resolution to Eject Marjorie Taylor Greene from Congress McCarthy to Meet Trump in Florida Videos Shows Representative Greene Calls Survivor of Parkland Shooting a ‘Coward’ MORE (R-Calif.), Underscoring the division at the conference in the wake of the January 6 uprising at the Capitol.
Those who criticize McCarthy say his reports have been inconsistent. They note that he criticized the former President Trump
Donald Trump FBI says California extremist may have targeted Newsom House Democrat recommends resolution to expel Marjorie Taylor Greene from Congressional Facebook to call back political content on the platform. for his role in the mob attack on the Capitol, only to change course later.
They also say McCarthy has sent several messages through Rep. Liz Cheney
Elizabeth (Liz) Lynn Cheney State-level Republicans plagued with divisions following Trump’s loss Former lawmakers call for leadership to focus on unity On The Trail: Little GOP Interest In Post-Election Introspection MORE (Wyo.), The third-placed House GOP leader, who voted to impeach Trump and is now called to remove her from the leadership.
McCarthy, who will meet with Trump in Florida on Thursday, is also taking charge of Rep. Marjorie Greene (R-Ga.), Who has raised questions about the correctness of school shootings and has made comments calling for violence against Democratic officers. The reports have sparked calls for her to lose committee seats and be removed from Congress.
“It’s hard to find out where he’s from because one minute he says he disapproves of the president and he’s responsible for this and the next moment he backs down and changes his position,” said a GOP lawmaker. , which Trump’s rhetoric for the riot deserves to be punished.
This legislator criticized McCarthy, saying, “It’s all about his political ambition and not about being a principled leader who will lead us to the majority.”
McCarthy’s office declined to comment on this story.
McCarthy, who was a close ally of Trump during his presidency, said Trump bore some responsibility for the mob’s attack on the Capitol on January 6 in a January 13 speech in which he argued against Trump’s impeachment.
But at a Jan. 21 press conference, he told reporters he did not believe Trump was “provoking” the crowd “if you listen to what he said at the rally.”
He said Cheney should remain in the leadership, but also told journalist Greta Van Susteren, “I support her, but I’m also concerned.”
Critics say he tries to play both sides of the debate and it hurts confidence in his leadership.
McCarthy, like GOP leaders before him, faces a difficult task in leading a GOP caucus that is being pulled in different directions by members like Cheney who want to leave Trump, and a host of GOP lawmakers firmly in the Trump sit camp.
The Trump energy is also most pronounced in the GOP grassroots, which has put pressure on every member of the McCarthy’s conference.
It’s a pre-Trump dilemma that the two GOP leaders ahead of McCarthy, former speakers John Boehner
John Andrew Boehner Can the GOP break its addiction to show biz? House Conservatives Plot Together To Eject Liz Cheney Ex-Speaker Boehner After Capitol Violence: ‘The GOP Needs To Awaken’ MORE (R-Ohio) and Paul Ryan
Paul Davis RyanBiden’s inauguration marked by a conflict of hope and fear The Hill’s 12:30 Report: Sights and Sounds of Inauguration Day Revising the pardon power – let Speaker and Congress vote MORE (R-Wis.), Also had to do with.
Still, McCarthy is likely to face a greater challenge than his predecessors, given Trump’s rise over the past four years, and the Republican Party schism following the loss of the White House and Senate majority and the scorching attack on the Capitol. .
“The GOP is at a crossroads and we have to make a decision: are we continuing on a divisive path or are we starting to rebuild our party? Kevin should consider meeting members who are not into the theatrics of politics and who are eager to get things done, ”a member who criticized the conservative House Freedom Caucus told The Hill.
“If he did, I think he would understand how much support he has if he stands up against members who put their own ambitions above the interests of the American people.”
GOP lawmakers who would like McCarthy to challenge his conference right, warning Trump that they are likely to lose seats, not win, if he doesn’t.
Some argued that the successes the GOP saw in November in terms of folding seats could be endangered in the aftermath of the uprising, and some feared that if the party continued to tie too closely to Trump, it would be them could harm in suburban neighborhoods needed to take back the majority. These voices warn that the conference is at risk of shrinking to a conference inhabited only by those who can win in heavily red districts.
‘I think so [McCarthy is losing the trust of some in the conference] because many of us consider ourselves majority makers – it’s easy to be brave in these R + 23 seats, ”said a GOP legislator in a competitive district.
“When you have primaries and generals, you have to hold on to the line, and part of what I think he has forgotten is, yes, we won seats. Why? Since we play in our districts, we don’t subscribe to the Trump who is going to carry us [mentality]. We go back and talk about the things we achieve. “
While Conservatives have been at odds with McCarthy in the past, a senior Conservative aide said there are no major grievances to the California Republican of that faction of the party at this point.
And a number of lawmakers argue that the Republican in California is navigating current conditions as best he can in the current climate.
“I think we will be in the majority in two years’ time because Democrats are doing ridiculous things right now,” said one member. And I think everyone would wish they could have done something different between the elections in November and now. I think he did a B + job. ”
Multiple GOP lawmakers said they feel McCarthy’s focus on retaining the support of Freedom Caucus members – the group that ousted BoehnerJohn Andrew Boehner Can the GOP break its addiction to show biz? House Conservatives Plot Together To Drop Liz Cheney Ex-Speaker Boehner After Capitol Violence: ‘The GOP Must Awaken’ MORE and hampered his ability to get the gavel in 2015 – could alienate a significant portion of the conference that has backed him and helped him rise to the ranks.
“Right now he’s trying to please everyone and I think we have some irreconcilable short-term differences. I think he’s really playing with fire because if they push to rip off Liz, there will be a conversation about it [House Minority Whip] Steve [Scalise (R-La.)] and Kevin too, ”said a senior GOP lawmaker.
“She [the Freedom Caucus] will turn on him, and he tries to fend it off, and maybe he will be able to do that successfully, but he’s losing the confidence, I think, of the majority of the conference right now, even if they don’t say it. ”
The loss of the company’s PAC money to members who voted to contest the election results could also cause problems for the California Republican.
McCarthy – who voted to object to certification from both Arizona and Pennsylvania – has publicly rejected the company’s loss of PAC money, telling reporters he is “not at all” concerned about the fundraising figures this quarter. But he’s also limited the damage with K Street, suggesting concerns.
“He’s trying to calm donors,” a Republican donor recently told The Hill.
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler
Guy Reschenthaler Tapper Fights GOP Lawmakers Over Criticism of Afghan Vet’s Electoral College Vote READ: The Republicans Who Voted To Challenge Election Results Cleaver Decides Congress Prayer With ‘Amen And Awoman’ MORE (Pa.), A member of the House GOP leadership, expressed confidence that McCarthy will be victorious in the long run.
“He’s the most productive fundraiser we’ve ever had, he’s our best recruiter. And he is our best strategist. Besides, if you need proof that we took our seats when we lost the Senate and we lost the White House – that’s not a coincidence, it’s not an accident, that’s 100 percent Kevin McCarthy. “
During a political appeal on Wednesday, McCarthy told conference members he would no longer tolerate members attacking each other in public, adding that he would make it last longer than he should have, assuming it would have declined, according to two sources about the conversation.
“No more attacks on each other. Get this shit out. If you spend more time on Twitter than talking to your constituents, you are doing it wrong, ”he told members.
And in a letter sent to members of his conference on Monday, the GOP leader called on them to unite and “lower the political temperature” and focus on providing a contrast to government policies. -Biden.
Some senior GOP sources said they saw his tone as a positive step in moving the conference forward.
Scott Wong and Alex Gangitano contributed.