During a closed-door meeting on Thursday morning, McCarthy addressed growing threats from members to call a motion to vacate the chair, which would force a vote on removing him from the speakership.
“If you want to file a motion to vacate, then file the f‑‑‑ing motion,” McCarthy said, Rep. Brian Mast recounted following the meeting.
McCarthy addressed his reported comments after the meeting, acknowledging that he got frustrated.
“I showed frustration in here because I am frustrated,” McCarthy told reporters. “Frustrated with some people in the conference.”
“We had the DOD appropriations bill yesterday, couldn’t put it on the floor,” McCarthy said. “I don’t have one complaint by any member of what’s wrong with this bill.”
The Hill’s Emily Brooks and Mychael Schnell have more on the reaction to the heated meeting this morning.
Earlier this week, hardline conservative Rep. Matt Gaetz threatened to call a motion to vacate if McCarthy doesn’t follow through with various spending priorities and votes on bills that his conservatives were promised in January.
But the effort has yielded criticism from several House and Senate Republicans, including Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.). Buck told CNN’s Jake Tapper earlier this month that he does not support efforts to impeach Biden because he was not “convinced that that evidence exists.”
But Buck could face political consequences, as his comments spurred some criticism from hardliners, most notably Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). An effort to find a challenger to oppose him in his next primary is reportedly underway.
Emily spoke to House Republicans about the threats facing McCarthy and how serious they are about his ouster.
“Clearly, it’s not a big stretch for me. I never voted for Kevin McCarthy in the first place,” said GOP Rep. Eli Crane. “I’m not thrilled with the job he’s done. More importantly, neither are my voters. So, I would love to see stronger leadership in the House.”
The tensions come as McCarthy attempted to make good on one of those major demands from conservative House Republicans earlier this week when he announced the opening of an impeachment inquiry into President Biden. However, the move has clearly not appeased the hardline conservatives in McCarthy’s caucus.
Additionally, this is all taking place as a potential government shutdown looms. Congress has a Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government.
