Even though he has not yet been elected as Speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has taken some privilege.
McCarthy took it upon himself to move into the Speaker’s office.
Now Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is trying to have him booted out of the office as a squatter since he has not yet been elected.
Get Out
There is a lot of gamesmanship going on in the House right now.
A contingent of about 20 GOP House members are voting against McCarthy, blocking him from taking over as Speaker.
Until he can get 218 votes, business cannot move forward.
The contingent is voting for Jim Jordan, but they will vote for McCarthy if he gives in to some of their concessions.
McCarthy seems to have no interest in talking to them, so they are not budging.
Quite the contrary, as Rep. Gaetz wants McCarthy booted from the office.
He wrote a letter to the Architect of the Capitol, stating, “I write to inform you that the Speaker of the House Office located in the U.S. Capitol Building is currently occupied by Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
“As of this morning, the 117th Congress adjourned sine die, and a Speaker from the 118th Congress has not been elected.
“After three undeciding votes, no member can lay claim to this office.
“What is the basis in law, House rule, or precedent to allow someone who has placed second in three successive speaker elections to occupy the Speaker of the House Office? How long will he remain there before he is considered a squatter?”
I’d like to report a squatter https://t.co/mndQjxUjeF
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) January 4, 2023
This group is taking a lot of heat for blocking business, but let’s be realistic about this.
Investigations can get started once this issue is settled, but as far as legislation goes, they are not going to get anything past the Senate, so people like Rep. Crenshaw (R-TX) are doing nothing but grandstanding by making the argument about legislation being stalled.
At some point, someone here will blink, and I don’t think it will be the contingent against McCarthy.
Source: Fox News
