Kevin McCarthy, who successfully led a bipartisan effort to avert a government shutdown, faced an unexpected ousting from his position as US House Speaker on Tuesday.
This historic event marked the first time a Speaker of the House has been removed from office in US history, bringing an inglorious end to McCarthy’s relatively short and tumultuous tenure as a California Republican.
McCarthy announced on Tuesday night that he would not seek re-election as Speaker, clearing the path for a new Republican leader if the party can reach a consensus.
Republicans plan to hold a vote for a new Speaker on the following Wednesday, preceded by a closed-door meeting on October 10 to discuss potential candidates, as reported by Reuters.
The motion to remove McCarthy was initiated by Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz through a motion to “vacate the chair.”
McCarthy’s Republican supporters failed to prevent the motion from advancing, leading to a final vote on Tuesday afternoon. In a tense chamber, eight hard-right Republicans joined 208 Democrats in supporting McCarthy’s removal, while 210 Republicans attempted and failed to retain him as Speaker.
Following this declaration, Congressman Patrick McHenry, a North Carolina Republican, was appointed as the acting Speaker by McCarthy until a new House leader is elected. McHenry promptly called for a recess.
“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.
Some Republican leaders criticized McCarthy’s removal. Former Vice President and current presidential candidate Mike Pence suggested that it could undermine the GOP’s standing with voters. However, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich labeled Gaetz an “anti-Republican” and urged Republicans to vote to expel him from the House Republican conference.
The eight Republicans who voted with Democrats to remove McCarthy offered various reasons for their decisions. South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace argued that McCarthy had not fulfilled his commitments on how the House should operate, believing that the chaos under McCarthy’s leadership would be worse than without him.
McCarthy, speaking to reporters, mentioned that Gaetz had a “personal” vendetta against him, related to an ethics inquiry into Gaetz’s behavior, including allegations of sexual misconduct, drug use, and misuse of campaign funds.
McCarthy also accused Gaetz of not being a genuine conservative but rather seeking attention and campaign donations through his actions.
Despite his removal, McCarthy emphasized that he had no regrets and left the speakership with pride in his accomplishments. He dismissed the eight Republicans who voted against him, stating that “this country is too great for small visions of those eight.”
The ousting of McCarthy comes after his collaboration with House Democrats to pass a stopgap spending bill and allegations of a “secret side deal” with President Joe Biden regarding additional funding for Ukraine, which drew criticism from the right-wing. McCarthy denied the existence of any secret deal.
