Update: McCarthy lost the 13th vote, but only because three of his supporters weren’t present.
Bo Snerdley said on Twitter, “Matthew Louis Gaetz just did something on the floor of the House that is almost unbelievable. He just detailed how Kevin McCarthy used the pretense of a deal to play a dirty trick on his own members. He called him out so hard – KM supported [supporter] WALKED OUT.”
There is progress on rules and assignments, but some are “Never McCarthy.” Others are expected to switch their votes. He gained thirteen Republican holdouts by 1:36 pm EST. Byron Donalds voted for him. He won’t win this round. He lost six votes by 12:54.
MATT GAETZ’S STATEMENT
Rep. Gaetz spoke before the 12th vote and said that Kevin McCarthy did raise a lot of money, but there are attributes far more important. He said Jim Jordan has the qualities they need – “pure, selfless intent.”
He also said Mr. McCarthy would not win today, tomorrow, or next week.
Gaetz said the principal goal of the rebels is to unlock the potential of all the members. They are also concerned about spending. He indicated that McCarthy lied about the motives of the rebels. That’s what Bo referenced.
Rep. Gaetz concluded that people do not trust Mr. McCarthy with power – we trust Jim Jordan. He added that he couldn’t trust McCarthy to turn the position into a ceremonial one.
Some audience members had to be reminded not to scream out acrimonious invective. There will be paybacks for Rep. Gaetz.
LAUREN BOEBERT STATEMENT
Rep. Boebert wants a Speaker like Kevin Hern who will fight for their goals. He has crafted a balanced budget. She nominated Rep. Hern.
“What the McCarthy battle reveals is how complacent we’ve been encouraged to become, how we’ve grown so used to government on autopilot, where a handful of people meet and pass bills that affect all our lives, and no one even reads them. That’s why people are freaking out,” Pedro Gonzalez wrote.
Mr. Gonzalez continued, “Every single Republican going to bat in the press for McCarthy had something personal to gain from his initial speakership and doesn’t want to lose that now. It’s that simple.”
12TH VOTE LIVE
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