McCarthy after his ouster, told Republicans in a meeting that he would not run again for Speaker
By Kehinde Okeowo
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy has been impeached by the Congress, becoming the first leader in the history of the lower chamber to be removed from the position.
His removal was orchestrated by a handful of Republicans on Tuesday, as party infighting plunged the US Congress into further chaos just days after it narrowly averted a government shutdown.
Eight Republicans voted alongside 208 Democrats to pull the historic 216-to-210 vote, which in the end was enough to oust the Speaker.
Speaking after the exercise, McCarthy told Republicans in a closed-door meeting that he would not run again for Speaker. He later confirmed his decision in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“I may have lost a vote today, but I fought for what I believe in — and I believe in America,” McCarthy tweeted. “It has been an honour to serve.”
This means, the House is likely to go leaderless for at least a week, as some sources among Republicans said they planned to meet on October 10 to discuss possible McCarthy successors, with a vote on a new speaker planned for Oct. 11.
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McCarthy’s ouster was led by Representative Matt Gaetz, a far-right Republican from Florida and McCarthy antagonist who finally turned on the speaker after he on Saturday relied on Democratic votes to help pass a bill to avoid a partial government shutdown
“Kevin McCarthy is a creature of the swamp. He has risen to power by collecting special interest money and redistributing that money in exchange for favors. We are breaking the fever now,” Gaetz told reporters after the vote.
Tuesday’s rebellion underscores the sharp divides in the Republican party and threatens to usher in a new era of dysfunction in Washington, as the House cannot carry out legislative business until a Speaker is elected.
