Trump’s threats to House Republicans on Biden impeachment have sent Kevin McCarthy down the road to disaster.
Speaker McCarthy is trying to appease the MAGAs while not costing dozens of House Republicans their seats.
Having Trump threaten his 2024 vulnerables — who aren’t rushing to sign onto any impeachment push — is potentially disastrous for McCarthy and the Republican leadership.
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In this case, only a fraction of House Republicans are backing the various impeachment resolutions that have been introduced already, although the drumbeat is growing louder every day on the right. Trump’s latest comments are his most aggressive yet in warning McCarthy about the fallout for the speaker if it doesn’t happen soon.
McCarthy does have the votes to impeach President Biden, which is why he tried to split the baby by floating the idea of an impeachment investigation with what seemed like no intention of holding an impeachment vote.
If Trump gets his way and bullies House Republicans into voting for impeachment, about 14 members in McCarthy’s House Republican caucus representing districts that Biden won in 2020 will likely lose their seats.
Speaker McCarthy has to choose between appeasing Trump and losing the House.
McCarthy put himself in this position so he deserves no sympathy, but the situation is a disaster, and either way, it looks like Kevin McCarthy will no longer be running the House by January 2025.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association