Kevin McCarthy (California), the Republican leader of the House of Representatives, received a standing ovation from colleagues on Wednesday after defending his explosive comments that leaked to the New York Times.
Last week, the Times released tapes in which McCarty told other Republican leaders after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol that he intended to persuade former President Donald Trump to step down.
Despite the clear audio, McCarthy denied thinking Trump should step down.
Some House Republicans told HuffPost that McCarthy justified himself at a conference meeting Wednesday morning. One lawmaker, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the essence of McCarthy’s defense was Trump’s demotion to the position in the hypothetical context of impeachment and sentencing in the Senate.
According to CNN reporter Manu Raju, McCarthy argued that the Times covered the full context of his comments to highlight the split in the party.
One member noticed that not everyone McCarthy was happy with.
“Some people got up and had fun, some didn’t,” the spokesperson told HuffPost. Ralph Norman (RSC).
The Times said McCarthy’s January 10, 2021 call record takes an hour, but the paper only runs a few minutes.
“Everyone wants to know more, hear the whole story instead of the snippets,” Norman said. “I think this is the right thing to do. Right for McCarthy and right for the whole body.
The congressman, who wishes to remain anonymous, also told HuffPost that Congressman Matt Gates (R-Fla.) Apologized at a morning meeting with Congressman Steve Scalis (R-La.). Scalzi, who is a member of the House GOP leadership, was quoted in a Times report on McCarthy for calling Getz’s rhetoric “potentially illegal” after Jan. 6.
At the meeting, McCarthy defended his leaked remarks, saying they should review all situations – and the tapes included only a portion of his comments and had no full context, according to some sources. He said it was a distraction and an attempt to divide them. Got standing O
– რაჯუ (@mkraju) April 27, 2022
Another unnamed source in the room told Washington Post reporter Jacqueline Alleman that McCarthy is “widely supported” by Republicans and is likely to become a House speaker if Republicans control the House in the 2022 midterm election.
A source in the room confirmed McCarthy received a standing ovation. “It has extensive support.” There will be a speaker, “the source added. Https://t.co/6K0GnK8OpL
– Jacqueline Aleman (@JaxAlemany) April 27, 2022
Initially, the Times did not release post-January audio clips of McCarthy. 6 phone calls. The newspaper only did so after denying the story.
McCarthy was heard telling colleagues, including Republican MP Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), That he believed an impeachment resolution related to the riots could be passed, and he told Trump, “My recommendation is to get off the seat. “
“McCarthy is ready to sever ties with Trump:‘ I’m talking to this person, ’” he said in the post.
“I want to be very clear to all of you, and I have made this clear to the President: he is responsible for his words and actions. “Not if, and or but,” McCarthy said on another occasion.
He noted that Trump took some responsibility for what his supporters did in private conversations at the Capitol, although within a year of the attack, Trump refused to take any public responsibility.
McCarthy appears to have overcome a potential flaw in Trump’s coverage of the Times; Former President Lo told The Wall Street Journal that his relationship with the minority leader in the House was “very strong.”
Source: Huffpost
