Kevin McCarthy Says He Will Retire From Congress This Month
By: HuffPost
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Oct. 24, 2023.Alex Brandon via Associated Press
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is leaving Congress at the end of the month, he announced Wednesday in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.
The announcement comes weeks after McCarthy was thrown out of the speakership in a historic vote led by hard-right members of his own party, abruptly ending his steady rise in the House.
"No matter the odds, or personal cost, we did the right thing. That may seem out of fashion in Washington these days, but delivering results for the American people is still celebrated across the country," McCarthy wrote of his time in the House.
The California Republican's most lasting legacy will likely be the political rehabilitation of former President Donald Trump following the attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters on Jan. 6, 2021. At first, McCarthy blamed Trump for instigating the riot.
"The president bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters," McCarthy said in a Jan. 13, 2021, floor speech. "He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding."
But McCarthy soon changed his tune, blaming "everybody across this country" for the attack and traveling to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort to stand shoulder to shoulder with him in a now-iconic photo.
McCarthy said he will resign after Christmas rather than finish the second half of his term, shrinking an already tiny Republican majority.
"It is in this spirit that I have decided to depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways," McCarthy wrote. "I know my work is only getting started."
After weeks of chaos amid a leaderless House following McCarthy's ouster from the speakership in October, Republicanseventually elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) to become the 56th leader of the chamber in late October.
McCarthy's decision to step down early will make it more difficult for Johnson to push partisan legislation through the House, since the Republican majority will shrink from 221 members to 220. With 213 Democrats, Republicans will be able to lose only three of their own members and still pass bills without Democratic votes.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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This seat could be open for a while. The governor of California decides when to hold a special election and he may decide on next spring.
McCarthy wasnt sharp enough to navigate all his problems. Delusions of grandeur got him.
With Santos gone, the republican majority is shrinking fast.
Even with majority they can't get a dang thing done with the various factions in GOP...which is probably a good thing.
It's been decades since republicans have been able to govern. MAGA has just made it that much more obvious.
For his entire Congressional career McCarthy has a record of accomplishing absolutely nothing.
See ya, Kevin, and don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
Kevin McCarthy Did What Nancy Pelosi Could Not: Get Fired
Another adult willing to compromise will leave the room to the kids.
Yikes.
Oh. Dear. God. I can't wait to see how he serves America in new ways
I thought it was obvious.....FoxNews
When did Kevin learn how to swim?