Kevin McCarthy becomes Speaker of the House after two Reps, Matt Gaetz and Mike Rogers, nearly fight on the House floor. The chaos that almost erupted between the two Republicans was emblematic of the entire process to elect McCarthy. House rules state that there will be an unlimited number of voting rounds until a speaker is elected. There were 20 holdouts who refused to vote with the rest of their Republican colleagues for McCarthy in the first few rounds of voting. As time progressed, more and more of the holdouts started to switch their votes. Ultimately, all 20 holdouts either voted for McCarthy instead of Donalds or Jordan… or they voted “present” which ultimately worked out in favor of the Speaker-elect.
The voting process and ensuing procedural ceremonies made the final stages of McCarthy’s confirmation last until after 1 a.m. Eastern Time. This actually made the election task come to a conclusion on January 7th instead of the January 6th anniversary that the left has turned into their own version of Pearl Harbor. Several speeches were given on the House floor that night, including an amazing one from Democrat House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Conservatives absolutely hated the speech because it was obviously political and adversarial in nature, but the left eat that type of rhetoric up like a freshly-made pizza. McCarthy’s election and the “concessions” that the GOP Freedom Caucus were able to obtain is just the first step in what will be a very contentious 118th Congress.
SOURCES:
Mike Rogers lunges at Matt Gaetz during House speaker voting, other members forced to intervene: video | Fox News
Tensions Flare on House Floor as Rogers Confronts Gaetz – The New York Times
GOP lawmaker had to be restrained while confronting Gaetz. Hear what he told him | CNN Politics
Speaker vote: Hudson pulls Rogers from Gaetz confrontation | Raleigh News & Observer
Rep. Mike Rogers jumps towards Rep. Matt Gaetz on House floor after ‘present’ vote
The full confrontation between McCarthy and Gaetz – YouTube
Watch House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ historic first speech – YouTube
What has Kevin McCarthy given up, and at what price? – BBC News
