The United States and the Republicans expel their leader in the House of Representatives, McCarthy – Corriere.it

From our correspondent
New York – Low Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy(58 years old), the son of a firefighter from Bakersfield, California, is the real-life character who inspired Kevin Spacey while preparing for his role in “House of Cards.” It will undoubtedly be an inspiration for new films and TV series, since it entered history yesterday: it is Dismissal of the first Speaker of the House of Representatives. This has never happened in the United States.

Republicans against Republicans, in a historic and surreal moment. with 216 votes in favor and 210 votes againstMcCarthy lost his seat on the initiative of a handful of The far-right “rebels” in his partyLed by Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, who filed a motion to impeach him on Sunday. Given the narrow Republican majority in the House (221 to 212), only eight Republican votes were enough to determine his end, in addition to the votes of Democrats present (there were some absent), who collectively refused to defend him. “Now?” a Republican representative finally asked out loud. Patrick McHenry, a McCarthy ally, is acting speaker, a ceremonial role that consists of calling a vote for his successor, scheduled for next week; McHenry ended the session by hitting the gavel so hard that some said he “looked like he was going to hit Matt Gaetz in the head.”

The House of Representatives is paralyzed, while Congress must still pass a government funding bill after mid-November if we are to avoid a “shutdown.” But it is not clear who can really replace McCarthy and rule the far right. McCarthy announced last night that he would not seek to become president again. Republican insurgents are angry that government funding has been approved through November 17 with the help of Democrats; Why did he not ensure deeper cuts in federal spending? They accused him of making secret deals with Biden to finance Kiev; But behind his overthrow there are also vanity and personal revenge. Gaetz is a Trump loyalist But other Trump supporters remained by McCarthy. Trump wrote on social media: “Why are Republicans always fighting among themselves instead of fighting against the extreme Democratic left?” But this time he did not personally intervene in the dispute, unlike what happened in January when he telephoned some representatives to persuade them to vote for “my Kevin.” It took 15 votes, and he won only after a rule change was accepted, allowing one representative to move a motion to remove him: which is what Gaetz did.

The dilemma for Democrats, who certainly had no sympathy for Gaetz, was whether or not to support McCarthy. Ultimately, their House leader, Hakeem Jeffrey, ordered them not to oppose his impeachment, saying the Speaker had failed “to distance himself from the extremism that makes America great again.” Democrats say multiple events, including his opposition to the Jan. 6 commission, show he cannot be trusted. Republicans debated for an hour before the vote: “Think about it carefully,” some warned, “we risk chaos with the speaker’s chair empty.” “No, Chaos McCarthy,” the rebels replied. The speaker had challenged Gaetz on Sunday evening: “Bring it, I will survive.”. Before the vote, he told his people that he was proud to have avoided a “lockdown” and that he did not regret anything. He was interrupted by three standing ovations.