CNN anchor Jake Tapper admonished House Republicans after their latest nominee for Speaker once again dropped his bid to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who was ousted three weeks ago.
“I’m covering life and death issues, serious tragedies, serious momentous occurrences here in Israel,” Tapper said Tuesday while broadcasting his weekday newscast from Tel Aviv, Israel. “And of course, we have to interrupt this for one moment to cover the complete and utter clown car that is the House Republican speaker’s race back in Washington, D.C.”
Republicans failed to elect a Speaker for a third time when House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) dropped out of the race Tuesday, only hours after the conference nominated him for the top job.
Emmer is the third Republican behind Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) to be nominated for the post but fail to garner the necessary support to secure the gavel.
Tapper called Emmer a “sensible human being” and as he threw CNN’s coverage to Capitol Hill correspondent Manu Raju, he asked why Emmer had failed.
“Was he too sane?” the anchor asked.
Tapper just days ago during an interview with Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) asked the lawmaker if he had “any idea just how clownish you guys look,” amid the party’s struggles to nominate a replacement for McCarthy.
Emmer’s prospects Tuesday quickly dimmed after former President Trump released a statement opposing his bid.
“I have many wonderful friends wanting to be Speaker of the House, and some are truly great Warriors. RINO Tom Emmer, who I do not know well, is not one of them,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, using the acronym for “Republican in name only.”
He added that voting for Emmer “would be a tragic mistake.”