Republican Kevin McCarthy was removed this Tuesday as leader of the United States Lower House after a motion against him presented by a member of his own party in retaliation for concessions made to the Democrats.
The resolution, introduced on Monday by the ultra-conservative Matt Gaetz, was approved by 216 votes and 210 against, making history as it was the first time that a motion of this type went ahead.
McCarthy will be replaced on an interim basis by fellow Republican Patrick McHenry, representative of North Carolina’s 10th district.
McCarthy, questioned from his own party
Gaetz, opposed from the beginning to McCarthy’s nomination as leader, had threatened for months to activate the process to remove him from office and that threat accelerated last weekend, after McCarthy relied on Democratic votes to push forward the law that extended the Administration’s financing on key issues for 45 days and thus avoided a Government shutdown .
Although McCarthy announced this Tuesday that he was confident that he had enough support to continue leading, his luck began to go wrong when the leader of the Democratic minority, Hakeem Jeffries, instructed the members of his caucus to vote to revoke him.
Since the midterm elections last November, the conservatives have 221 seats in that chamber and the Democrats 212. The motion needed to be approved by a simple majority.
Gaetz is part of the “Freedom Caucus,” the wing of the Republican Party most sympathetic to former President Donald Trump .
Activating the motion of censure only required that it be promoted by a legislator, whether Democrat or Republican, and that this vote reach a simple majority. As there are two vacancies in the House of Representatives, that figure stood at 217 votes.
Since its presentation, a period of two days was open to include its vote in the day’s agenda, but the leader of the Lower House preferred not to delay the process.
Since the mid-term elections last November, the conservatives have 221 seats in that chamber and the Democrats 212. The leader of the Democratic minority, Hakeem Jeffries, recommended this Tuesday to the members of his party that they vote in favor of ousting him.
McCarthy will not run again to preside over the Lower House
The Republican confirmed that he will not run again as a candidate to preside over the United States Lower House, after his dismissal.
“I will not run for president (of the House) again. (…) I hope you know that I worked every day regardless of whether you underestimated me or not. I wanted to do it with a smile,” said the representative from California in a press conference at the Capitol.
During his appearance, McCarthy said he may support the candidate the Republicans put forward to replace him. He clarified that he still doesn’t know who will show up.
He also accused Gaetz of going against him for personal reasons and orchestrating the stunt to get attention.
In his press conference, McCarthy defended his pact with Democrats. He said that he has always tried to put the good of the country ahead of his own interests.
“If I lose my job for doing what I think is right, I don’t have any problem with that,” said the Republican.
The mechanism of the motion of censure
Activating the motion of censure only required that it be promoted by a legislator, whether Democrat or Republican, and that this vote reach a simple majority. As there are two vacancies in the House of Representatives, that figure stood at 217 votes.
Only two other House Speakers in the last century have had a motion against them, both unsuccessful: against fellow Republicans Joseph Cannon in 1910 and John Boehner in 2015.
On that last occasion it was not put to a vote, but its presentation was a trigger for Boehner’s resignation months later.
The rules of the House of Representatives establish that it is the president of the House who must draw up a list of his possible substitutes in case his position is declared vacant. This list would be made public only if this situation were met, and the chosen person would act on an interim basis until the new leader is elected.
BY WEB DESK
