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Kevin McCarthy's announced exit from the House of Representatives is a strategic decision meant to politically hurt Speaker Mike Johnson, says former Donald Trump aide Alyssa Farrah Griffin.
McCarthy said Wednesday in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that he is not running for reelection in 2024 and will exit the House by the end of this year. The California conservative needed 15 rollcall votes to become speaker earlier this year only for his own conference to vote him out in early October.
His abrupt announcement further ties the hands of the House GOP, which in November 2022 barely attained the majority and is now hanging by a thread less than one year out from the next major election cycle. Between McCarthy's decision, the upcoming retirement of Representative Bill Johnson, and the recent expulsion of George Santos, the GOP currently has a three-vote margin over House Democrats. House Republicans will enter next year with 220 votes.
Griffin, now a co-host on The View, said on the show Thursday that McCarthy fully realizes the political implications of his decision.
"Kevin McCarthy is petty," Griffin said, emphasizing the word. "He wants to make Mike Johnson's life harder. So, by him stepping down, that gives him only two votes to get anything by because he wants people to miss him. He wants them to be, like, yes, it was better under Kevin."
Griffin added that McCarthy made his bed following the events of Jan. 6, where instead of condemning Donald Trump's actions he emboldened the now-former president and current 2024 GOP front-runner.
"[Imagine that] Kevin McCarthy actually stays by what he said after January 6, 'I'm done with Trump,'" she said. "He never goes to Mar-a-Lago and panhandles. The GOP moves on. We don't dabble in election denialism. We would end up having a red wave and he would be a popular speaker and we would be serving the American public. None of that happened and here we are."
Florida Representative Matt Gaetz, who was arguably more instrumental than any other Republican in pushing McCarthy out of the speakership, poked fun at McCarthy's exit. But Gaetz and other outspoken conservatives like Steve Bannon have warned that Johnson's fate could mimic McCarthy's if he doesn't reduce spending and appease members on the far-right side of the party.
Lisa Parshall, a political science professor at Daemen University, told Newsweek via email that Johnson seems open to the varying opinions within his conference, but his lack of congressional experience and fundraising acumen may ultimately lead to his demise.
"Much will rest on [Johnson's] ability to prove himself an effective fundraiser, especially for those vulnerable GOP members in New York and California who won in Biden districts," Parshall said. "These are also the places where Johnson's own brand of conservatism, as a staunch opponent of reproductive rights and election denialism, could also prove a drag on Republicans running in moderate, suburban districts.
"He can either lead in a way that will please the Freedom Caucus members or he can focus on retaining a majority in the House. I'm not sure he can do both, and he may not be able to do either."
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About the writer
Nick Mordowanec is a Newsweek investigative reporter based in Michigan. His focus includes U.S. and international politics and policies, immigration, ... Read more