House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is trying to manage his caucus amid an impeachment inquiry, before the deadline for a government shutdown.
But a faction of conservative lawmakers are planning to oust McCarthy as early as next week, according to a bombshell report from the Washington Post.
Four anonymous insiders told the Post that a conservative faction is preparing to oust McCarthy in favor of House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a Minnesota Republican.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., could file the motion as soon as Sunday, insiders told the Post Thursday.
Plus, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., has privately mentioned Emmer as a possible candidate, two Republicans told Politico.
However, Biggs denied ever mentioning Emmer’s name. He also denied the reports of a conservative faction uniting behind Emmer. Speaking to Politico, Biggs called the reports “completely false.”
McCarthy was elected House speaker in January only after 15 rounds of voting. During this term, any representative can move to vacate the speakership and potentially trigger another round.
It remains unclear whether anyone else could win the speakership election.
“The problem is — and this is the same problem we saw with the 15 ballots at the beginning of the year — it is my belief that there is nobody at this point in time that has the majority votes in order to become speaker other than Kevin McCarthy,” said Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), a Freedom Caucus member.
“If you know somebody, name them. I don’t know somebody that has that kind of a following or that kind of a commitment from a vast majority from the members of the Republican conference,” he added.
Furthermore, it remains unclear whether anyone else even wants to be House speaker.
Some Republicans have described Emmer as a loyal member of McCarthy’s leadership team, according to the Post.
Emmer himself has denied any interest in the speakership. “I fully support Speaker McCarthy. He knows that and I know that. I have zero interest in palace intrigue. End of discussion,” Emmer told the Post in a statement.
For that reason, McCarthy has welcomed the challenge. In a closed-door meeting earlier this month, McCarthy reportedly told his colleagues, “You guys think I’m scared of a motion to vacate. Go f**king ahead and do it. I’m not scared.”
The Horn editorial team