McCarthy avenges against Trump supporters
Kevin McCarthy was Donald Trump's right hand in Congress, even beyond his presidency. Eight Republicans rebelled, ousted him, and plunged the party into chaos. McCarthy is still on a revenge campaign within his own party.
At one point, Kevin McCarthy beams across his entire face this afternoon. "Let's be honest, that was a big, personal victory," he interrupts a journalist's sober question on the sidelines of the Republican Party convention; the political posture is gone in a flash. The ousted House GOP leader is on a revenge campaign. He invests millions of dollars in his opponents' campaigns. For instance, in John McGuire, who now runs against Bob Good for the Republicans in Virginia's congressional district.
Good rebelled in October 2023 with seven other representatives against McCarthy; they overthrew him with the Democrats' help. Chaos ensued until Mike Johnson established himself as his successor. He stands on the stage every day at the current Conservative Party convention in Wisconsin or sits in one of the white chairs next to Presidential candidate Donald Trump, looking out at the people as they revel and cheer. McCarthy gets no time on the stage; but he is present, giving interviews and assessments on TV.
For eight years, Kevin McCarthy, as House GOP leader, had steered the Republicans' course in the House of Representatives, was re-elected eight times by his California district, a democratic stronghold. The Californian was a small institution. Trump publicly referred to him as "my Kevin" before his inauguration, sought his advice, relied on his experience in the Congress mechanisms. McCarthy was Trump's right hand in the Capitol. Even after the electoral losses, he remained in office.
Coup under Pretense
McCarthy's career took an unexpected turn when Matt Gaetz, a prominent member of the Trump MAGA wing, incited a rebellion against his boss. "He did it because he paid for sex with a minor, and there was a complaint in the Ethics Committee," Gaetz now says at the convention: "He wanted me to end the investigations." Gaetz manipulated McCarthy with a routine procedure, the agreement with the Democrats on a continuing resolution, which drew Good and other representatives to his side. For the first time, a party in the majority ousted its leader. He resigned and left as a representative.
When McCarthy now speaks about the incident, almost nine months later, he turns on Gaetz. "You should take a look at who hangs out with Gaetz," he sneers: "You can't even walk 150 meters to the school." As the journalist in the hall starts to lower their jaw, McCarthy quickly adds: "That was a joke." A nasty joke about someone from his own party and in Congress, when the Party convention's message was supposed to be unity against the Democrats.
On the Republican stage on Tuesday evening, those who had distanced themselves from Trump were pushing their way through as candidates. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who presented himself as a hardliner but whose campaign eventually imploded, is now among Trump's Wahl fighters and will make his appearance in Milwaukee. Even Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the UN under Trump, who had stayed in the primaries longer than all other candidates, received a last-minute invitation and speaks for Trump. Haley had shown herself as the sharpest critic of Trump during the primaries, presenting herself as "a new generation of leaders." McCarthy, he doesn't get a speaking turn.
If it weren't for Gaetz, McCarthy switches to professional mode. He finds it "fantastic" that Haley is appearing, for instance, saying there's no trace of envy, she's the most important speaker after Trump: "When she left, she had 18 percent of the votes." McCarthy is speaking about US President Joe Biden and Trump's rivals, hinting at their qualifications, which the Democrats have been discussing for weeks due to visible signs of aging. In addition, there's the contrast in political content such as immigration, foreign policy, and the economy. "We are more united than in 2016 or even 2020, thanks to such things."
Investigations against Gaetz continue
McCarthy describes himself as an independent Republican, but he regularly consults with Trump, praises his leadership qualities, and says in response to a related question: If Trump offered him a cabinet position, he would seriously consider it. He doesn't need it. Since his disgraceful end as Fraktionschef, he earns a lot of money as a speaker or as an expert on television. He is also an excellent fundraiser and has his own Wahlkampforganisation, the Majority Committee ("Majority Committee"), with whose money he interferes in the party.
He uses this organization to fight those who pushed him out of the job. A little irony hangs in the air: The organization had previously invested a total of 150,000 US dollars to bring these eight congressmen to power. "Can we still expect more from you like with Bob Good, and they make their influence felt to push someone out of office?", asks a journalist. McCarthy answers, Good, the chairman of the ultra-conservative "Freedom Caucus" faction, stands for chaos. His opponent is a good conservative and a former elite soldier. And Gaetz, now, he paid for sex with minors, which casts a bad light on the party.
In an extremely unusual step, the Ethics Committee made a public statement in the case in June: The investigations into Gaetz's sex allegations are continuing. Gaetz was first elected to Congress in 2016 and denies the allegations. According to US media, the committee has statements indicating that the incident involving the congressman in 2017 may also have involved cocaine and the drug MDMA; these were consumed at an event where the 17-year-old ran around naked and rooms were available for withdrawing for sex.
The House of Representatives is completely renewed every two years, so Gaetz is also campaigning for his re-election in November. The representative claims to have Trump's support, which McCarthy denies. The primary in Gaetz's Florida district takes place in August. And the Majority Committee supports the only opposing candidate. McCarthy's revenge campaign is not over yet.
In the United States Presidential Election 2024, Kevin McCarthy is widely perceived to be a potential contender, leveraging his experiences and connections from his time as Donald Trump's right hand in Congress. Amidst politics, tensions between McCarthy and one of Trump's allies, Matt Gaetz, escalated, leading to Gaetz's accusations against McCarthy and a subsequent rebellion within the Republican party.
