BREAKING NEWS: Kevin McCarthy Fires Back At Matt Gaetz Before Vote To Oust Him From The Speakership

Forbes Breaking News

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) held a press briefing on Tuesday where he spoke about the plan from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to oust him from the speakership.

Transcript

00:00 We just had a really good conference in there.

00:02 We talked about what we're going to take on the floor.

00:03 We got our appropriation bills up.

00:05 I'm going to bring up the motion to vacate today.

00:07 We'll do it in the first series and move through this.

00:10 Speaker, will you still be Speaker of the House by the end of tonight?

00:14 You know, if I counted how many times someone wanted to knock me

00:17 out, I would have been gone a long time ago.

00:19 Can you explain a little bit about why do it today?

00:22 I mean, the idea that you --

00:23 Why not?

00:24 Rip the mandate off here or what?

00:25 Why not?

00:26 You know, look, I think Matt has planned this all along.

00:30 It didn't matter what we transpired.

00:32 You know, he would have done it if we were in shutdown or not.

00:35 I firmly believe it's the right decision to keep government open,

00:39 to make sure our military is still paid,

00:41 our border agents are still paid.

00:43 And if that makes a challenge based upon whether I should be

00:46 Speaker, I'll take that fight.

00:47 So you're calling us bluff?

00:49 Yeah.

00:50 What was your conversation like with Senator Jeffries?

00:52 Why did you call him?

00:53 Well, I have to talk to Jeffries about a lot of things.

00:55 We talk every week.

00:58 We talk sometimes during the week.

01:01 We've got some issues going on, the Bowman.

01:03 I always try to let him know what's going to be coming to the

01:05 floor and others.

01:06 My only conversation with Jeffries,

01:09 I got a lot of respect for him, you know,

01:11 you guys do whatever you need to do.

01:14 I get politics.

01:15 I understand where people are.

01:17 I truly believe, though, the institution of the House.

01:21 At the end of the day, if you throw a Speaker out that has 99

01:25 percent of their conference, that kept government open and

01:31 paid the troops, I think we're in a really bad place for how

01:34 we're going to run Congress.

01:36 So are you expecting Democrats to back you up then?

01:39 No.

01:39 Personally, I'm not.

01:41 Do you need their help to remain in leadership?

01:43 No.

01:45 If five Republicans go with Democrats, then I'm out.

01:48 So it's whether --

01:50 That looks likely.

01:51 Probably so.

01:52 This is a bit of a complex piece of algebra because you don't

01:55 know what the attendance, you don't know what the present

01:57 votes, I mean, tell me why you're so confident based on

01:59 what the mathematical equation is.

02:01 Because I live in America.

02:02 No, but I mean, this is a serious --

02:04 No, it is a serious question.

02:05 -- computational issue.

02:06 Have you ever -- okay, take the current situation out.

02:10 Have you ever come to me on no matter what you thought I

02:12 couldn't solve that I wasn't confident?

02:15 I'm not questioning your confidence.

02:16 I'm questioning your hand.

02:17 But you're asking why I'm confident?

02:18 Because who I am.

02:20 And I just don't give up.

02:21 So there are obstacles in my life.

02:24 I have fallen many times.

02:26 There was a time I was going to be Speaker and I couldn't and

02:28 you guys all counted me out.

02:30 I'm Speaker.

02:31 I'm the 55th Speaker of the House.

02:33 You're confident that government was going to shut down.

02:35 You were confident the debt ceiling wouldn't get done.

02:38 But each and every time, if it's an obstacle,

02:41 I view it as a challenge.

02:42 And we're going to solve the challenge.

02:43 We're going to take it heads on.

02:44 How do you go and think, are you confident that you'll hold on?

02:47 I'm confident I'll hold on.

02:49 Do you think this is going to keep coming up repeatedly?

02:52 It could.

02:53 It seems very personal with Matt.

02:55 It doesn't look like he's looking out for the country or

02:57 the institution.

02:58 I mean, I gave this quote away.

03:01 You ought to read -- maybe I'll give it to you later in a

03:04 process of what can and --

03:06 Are you ruling out any sort of power sharing agreement with

03:09 Democrats or any sort of deals with Democrats?

03:12 That doesn't work.

03:13 Look, I'm a conservative.

03:14 I'm a Republican.

03:15 I'm a conservative.

03:15 I want to get things done.

03:18 Look, I know we live in -- our government is designed to have

03:22 compromise, but look, we're in the majority.

03:24 You don't surrender.

03:26 Do you work with the other side?

03:27 Yeah.

03:28 And that's what I've done.

03:28 I mean, from the day I came in, I've always said I'm going to

03:31 treat Hakeem the way I wanted to be treated.

03:33 I think you've seen that.

03:34 Everything doesn't have to be political.

03:36 And I firmly believe when you look at history, and when I talk

03:40 to the other speakers like a Boehner or Paul Ryan, the first

03:44 thing when they would meet, Nancy Pelosi would come and she

03:47 would simply say to them, if anyone ever did that motion, we

03:51 could stand with you, not because of you and not because

03:54 we agree politically, simply because of the institution needs

03:57 to be able to stand on its own.

03:59 First thing she did when she became Speaker was she removed

04:02 that.

04:03 And you know what?

04:04 It gave me the power to make that motion on her.

04:07 I had a lot of Republicans that wanted me to do it.

04:10 I never did it.

04:11 Did Nancy and I get along?

04:12 No, we really don't get along.

04:14 But I thought the institution was too important and I thought

04:17 that was too personal.

04:18 But you know, at the end of the day, keeping government open

04:22 and paying our troops was the right decision.

04:25 I stand by that decision.

04:26 At the end of the day, if I have to lose my job over it, so be

04:29 it.

04:30 But I'm going to fight for the American public and I'll

04:31 continue to fight.

04:32 Thank you all very much.

04:33 - Oh!

04:34 - Yeah, let's do it.

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