Former Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, stated on Sunday that House Republicans do not plan to dethrone his successor during this session of Congress.
On Friday, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) filed a motion to remove Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) but framed it as a cautionary measure.
“Speaker Johnson is doing the very best job he can. It’s a difficult situation,” McCarthy stated. “I do not think they could do it again.”
“I don’t think the Democrats will go along with it,” he added.
McCarthy also reiterated his longstanding advice to Johnson to “not be fearful of a motion to vacate.”
Johnson insisted at the House Republican retreat earlier this month that he’s not concerned about a motion to vacate.
McCarthy suggested that the circumstances leading to his removal differed from the current situation surrounding Johnson. He argued that he was targeted by Gaetz in a personal vendetta, whereas Johnson is confronted with a threat centered on policy issues.
Referring to Greene, he said: “There’s times she was a difference of opinion to you sit down and find common ground.”
By contrast, McCarthy said: “Matt [Gaetz]’s case was much different. It’s about a personal thing.”
McCarthy has consistently claimed that Gaetz pressured him to intervene in a House Ethics Committee matter, but the congressman vehemently denies that this influenced his decision to remove McCarthy from his position.
Gaetz isn’t backing Greene’s efforts to dethrone the speaker this time.
“If we vacated this speaker, we’d end up with a Democrat. When I vacated the last one, I made a promise to the country that we would not end up with the Democrat speaker,” he told reporters Friday.
Despite his ouster, McCarthy has fostered close ties with former President Donald Trump and hasn’t ruled out serving in a second Trump administration.
“I think people worried about whether they get a job in the next administration is the wrong place to be. You first have to have the election,” he said when asked about his ambitions.
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