Though he’s only been Speaker of the House for 10 days, Kevin McCarthy is already caught up in a major controversy which could result in him losing the Speaker’s chair a hell of a lot sooner than he ever expected.
One of the longest-serving members of the GOP House caucus, Rep. Vern Buchanan (FL) is reportedly furious with McCarthy for passing him over to be chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and handing the post to Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO), who just so happens to be a close ally of McCarthy’s but doesn’t have nearly as much seniority as Buchanan.
According to Tara Palmeri of Puck, Buchanan gave McCarthy one hell of a verbal lashing once he found out the Speaker had just stabbed him in the back.
Just how angry was he? Well, a source on the House floor during the vote told me that while McCarthy was gaveling down the votes, Buchanan walked up to McCarthy and said, “You fucked me, I know it was you, you whipped against me.” He then proceeded to chew out McCarthy’s deputy chief of staff for floor operations, John Leganski. It was shocking to see such fury from Buchanan, who’s known for being mild mannered. Indeed, I heard that the tirade was so heated that the Speaker’s security detail stepped in with a light touch. (McCarthy’s spokesperson Matt Sparks disputed this detail saying, “at no point did anyone have to step in.” A spokesperson for Buchanan declined to comment.)
Is McCarthy already attempting to solidify his position by pushing out those who haven’t shown proper loyalty to him? If so, such a move could have negative consequence for him, especially since he just barely gained the Speaker’s chair by a few votes, some of which — Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert — are said to be ready to oust him the moment they feel the least bit slighted or ignored.
Don’t be surprised if a motion to vacate is called for within the next couple of weeks, meaning McCarthy will again have to struggle to find the 218 votes he needs to remain Speaker. He certainly won’t be getting Vern Buchanan to cast a ballot for him.
Here’s more on McCarthy’s first few days as Speaker:
