McCarthy Says Any Efforts to Remove Him from Speakership Would Be ‘Exactly What the President Wants’

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) said Sunday that any efforts by House Republicans to remove him from the speakership would be giving President Biden what he wants.

Representative Matt Gaetz (R., Fla.) has ramped up his threats to bring a motion to vacate, which would essentially allow the House to vote to remove McCarthy as speaker.

“If you did a motion to vacate, it would have to a handful of Republicans [working] with Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell, Ilhan Omar to remove the Speaker and it would be exactly what the president wants because it would shut down [the House],” McCarthy said during an appearance on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures.

McCarthy warned that voting to remove him would interfere with the House impeachment inquiry of President Biden.

McCarthy announced the inquiry last week. House Oversight chairman James Comer (R., Ky.) and House Judiciary chairman Jim Jordan (R., Ohio) have uncovered what they say is evidence of then–vice president Biden’s involvement in his son’s foreign-influence-peddling efforts, particularly in the case of Hunter Biden’s involvement with Ukrainian energy firm Burisma.

The speaker said Sunday he will not be deterred by the potential efforts to remove him.

“These are individuals that they have a right to do what they want. But I am only going to focus on the American public,” he said.

McCarthy’s troubles with a ultra-conservative faction of the party began before he even ascended to the speakership earlier this year. It took 15 rounds of voting for McCarthy to be elected to the role in January as members of the House Freedom Caucus withheld their support in an effort to get McCarthy to agree to a number of policy and procedural concessions.

Gaetz first threatened an effort to remove McCarthy last month if the speaker did not open an impeachment inquiry to Biden. However, now that McCarthy has done so, Gaetz has moved the goal posts, saying that was just a “baby step.” He is now demanding other agreements on spending and legislation.

“If you want to file a motion to vacate, then file the f****** motion,” McCarthy said during a closed-door GOP conference meeting on Thursday, according to reports.