Fox News has learned that former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is attacking those Republicans who are opposing Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid for speaker. Gingrich made these comments during a recent appearance on Fox & Friends, stating that the vote threatens to throw the GOP into “chaos.”
Gingrich argued that the small group of hardline lawmakers don’t have the “moral right” to oppose the will of the overwhelming majority of Republicans who support McCarthy for speaker. “I don’t understand what they’re doing,” Gingrich said. “They’re not voting against Kevin McCarthy, they’re voting against over 215 members of their own conference.
Their conference voted overwhelmingly, 85%, for McCarthy to be speaker, so this is a fight between a handful of people and the entire rest of the conference.”
He went on to say, “They’re saying they have the right to screw up everything. Well, the precedent that sets is…any five people can get up and say, well, I’m now going to screw up the conference too. The choice is Kevin McCarthy or chaos.”
In an effort to convince the right wing of his party to support his speakership, McCarthy made major concessions on Sunday. His central concession was allowing for any five Republican representatives to force a vote of no confidence in the Speaker.
He also vowed to end the practice of proxy voting and virtual participation in hearings, requiring lawmakers to be in Washington to participate in hearings and votes.
These concessions are in contrast to the previous House rules put in place by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, which required a member of the House leadership from the majority party to initiate a vote to remove the current speaker.
Reps. Matt Gaetz, Andy Biggs, Matt Rosendale, and Bob Good have already vowed to oppose McCarthy’s bid. He also faces potential opposition from GOP Reps. Scott Perry, Paul Gosar, Chip Roy, Dan Bishop, Andy Harris, and Andrew Clyde, along with Rep.-elects Andy Ogles, Anna Paulina Luna, and Eli Crane.
Despite this opposition, it’s clear that McCarthy has the support of the majority of Republicans. As Gingrich stated, “Every single Republican in Congress knows that Kevin does not actually believe anything. He has no ideology.” It’s time for the party to come together and support McCarthy in order to avoid chaos in the GOP.