SHOCKER:...House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Ousted...Far Right-Wing Republicans Act On Their Threat...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | How long did it last? Weeks? Months? Months, yes. Today ended House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's stay as leader of the House of Representatives, as angry members of the so-called far right-wing Freedom Caucus ousted him in a stunner.

Republican McCarthy was elected Speaker only this past January!

It is the first such removal in the country's history.

This from axios.com: [ House Republicans made history on Tuesday by voting to remove Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his post, setting up another grueling speaker election without a clear successor.

This could create an unprecedented stalemate in the House. McCarthy's speaker election in January took the most ballots since before the Civil War, and Republicans have struggled to maintain a functioning majority for moving legislation.

The final count was 216 to 210, with the motion to vacate requiring a majority vote. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), a close McCarthy ally, will serve as acting speaker until a new one is elected.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) introduced the motion to vacate on Monday, with eight Republicans joining all House Democrats on the final vote to remove McCarthy.

Ahead of the vote, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said it was "now the responsibility of the GOP members to end the House Republican Civil War."

Gaetz, who has long had a contentious relationship with McCarthy, threatened to introduce the motion for weeks if the California Republican allowed a continuing resolution to stop a government shutdown to come to the floor. ]

There is, as of this report, no named alternative to replace McCarthy.

Gaetz, shown in photo above, at right, called McCarthy a "creature of the swamp," referring to those in Congress contributing to its current dysfunction.

The move was just a threat a few days ago, before the passage of the government's new spending bill late last Saturday.

Members of the Freedom Caucus, including Gaetz and fiery Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, acted on that threat today...

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