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Tag: house republican caucus
McCarthy Seeks To Soothe Trump After Embarrassing Audio Surfaces

McCarthy Seeks To Soothe Trump After Embarrassing Audio Surfaces

Days after the Jan 6 insurrection, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) told top GOP lawmakers in a call that he would ask Trump to resign, according to a newly released audio clip, prompting Trump’s allies to question McCarthy’s suitability for the top job of House speaker should the Republicans win back control.

The audio contradicts McCarthy’s fiery denial of a Thursday New York Times bombshell report about McCarthy’s propositions to Republican leaders on how best the party and Trump could handle the fallout.

In the clip, McCarthy spoke about a conversion he had with then-President Trump, where he pressed Trump on whether he bore responsibility for the vile riot that resulted in the death of Capitol law enforcement and the delay of the certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

“Well, let me be very clear to all of you, and I’ve been very clear to the president — He bears responsibility for his words and actions. No if’s, and’s or but’s. I asked him personally today, ‘Does he hold responsibility for what happened? Does he feel bad about what happened?’ He told me he does have some responsibility for what happened and he needs to acknowledge that,” McCarthy said in a clip that CNN obtained.

The minority leader also expressed concerns that Trump would ask him about getting a pardon from then-Vice President Mke Pence, who would have become president if Trump resigned. “Now, this is one personal fear I have. I do not want to get in any conversation about Pence pardoning,” he said in the audio.

Meanwhile, on a separate call the day before, McCarthy had expressed his frustrations with Trump, saying, "I had it with this guy. What he did is unacceptable. Nobody can defend that, and nobody should defend it," according to CNN.

The Washington Post reported Friday that McCarthy had hopped on a call with former President Trump shortly after the audio was released. McCarthy has also spoken to prominent Republicans in a bid to calm stormy waters and prevent a party revolt, according to CNN.

Former President Trump was not angry with McCarthy for his outburst, according to Politico. Instead, he was glad McCarthy didn’t follow up on the plan to seek his resignation, a sign of his vice-like grip on the GOP.

Citing anonymous sources, multiple news outlets predict potential party infighting in a closed-door meeting McCarthy will host with Republicans next week. The minority leader will hope to move past this controversy and shore up support in the party.

According to the Washington Post, the House GOP is awaiting a public response from former President Trump on the matter, so they can decide whether or not to continue backing McCarthy as their leader.

Former President Trump didn’t comment on the audio in his speech at a Heritage Foundation in Florida on Thursday night.

Former House Speaker John Boehner

Former GOP Speaker Denounces ‘Reckless A-hole’ Cruz In New Book

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

Former House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is not pleased with the Republican Party and the newly-released excerpts of his forthcoming book make his disdain quite clear.

On Friday, April 2, excerpts from the 12-term lawmaker's new book On the House: A Washington Memoir were published by Politico. Boehner recalled an orientation he conducted for the influx of freshman lawmakers elected in 2010. Although Republicans managed to fair well in that primary election, Boehner admits in his book that he was not very fond of the new group of lawmakers.

"I had to explain how to actually get things done," Boehner said. "A lot of that went straight through the ears of most of them, especially the ones who didn't have brains that got in the way. Incrementalism? Compromise? That wasn't their thing. A lot of them wanted to blow up Washington. That's why they thought they were elected."

He added, "To them, my talk of trying to get anything done made me a sellout, a dupe of the Democrats, and a traitor. Some of them had me in their sights from day one. They saw me as much of an "enemy" as the guy in the White House."

Boehner also admitted that around that time, the Republican lawmakers' political ammunition was based solely on their stark disapproval of former President Barack Obama.

"People really had been brainwashed into believing Barack Obama was some Manchurian candidate planning to betray America," Boehner wrote.

The former lawmaker went on to share the moment he realized the Republican Party was approaching an uncomfortable impasse. When he pushed back against the baseless claims about Obama's birthplace, Boehner noted that he faced stark criticism for doing so despite telling the truth.

"My answer was simple: 'The state of Hawaii has said that President Obama was born there. That's good enough for me,'" Boehner said. "It was a simple statement of fact. But you would have thought I'd called Ronald Reagan a communist. I got all kinds of shit for it—emails, letters, phone calls. It went on for a couple weeks. I knew we would hear from some of the crazies, but I was surprised at just how many there really were."

Boehner also lambasted his political party for spiraling into "crazytown" and entering a state of heightened paranoia as he expressed concerns about the dangers of a "reckless a--hole" takes center stage. He made it clear he was referring to none other than Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

Boehner's book, On the House: A Washington Memoir, is set to be released April 13, 2021.

Republicans Again Oppose ‘Pre-Existing Conditions’ Safeguard

Republicans Again Oppose ‘Pre-Existing Conditions’ Safeguard

A majority of Republicans once again voted to let health insurance companies discriminate against people with preexisting conditions.

On Thursday afternoon, the House of Representatives passed the Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act of 2019 by a vote of 230 to 183. Democrats unanimously supported the bill, joined by only four Republicans. Every single vote against the bill came from Republicans.

On the issue of preexisting conditions, most Republicans sided with Trump, who announced on Tuesday that he would veto the bill if it ever made it to his desk. The Trump administration “strongly opposes” the bill because it “runs counter to the President’s healthcare vision.”

“Democrats are working to protect patients with preexisting conditions like cancer, diabetes and asthma but the Trump administration is now threatening to veto those efforts,” Leslie Dach, chair of Protect Our Care, said in a Wednesday statement.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Annie Kuster (D-NH), is an effort to undo health care sabotage efforts by the Trump administration. The Trump administration encourages states to sell junk health insurance plans that weaken protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Kuster’s bill would stop these junk plans from flooding the market.

“We cannot go back to a time when Americans with preexisting conditions can be charged more or denied care,” Kuster said on Wednesday.

Trump’s opposition to affordable health care, including protections for pre-existing conditions, is one of his most consistent policy positions. Trump championed 2017 efforts by Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which ensures insurance companies can’t discriminate against people with preexisting conditions.

More recently, the Trump administration told a federal court that the ACA “must be struck down” in its entirety.

In Congress, Republicans are introducing sham bills that don’t adequately cover pre-existing conditions while refusing to support bills like Kuster’s.

Trump’s actions show a clear and consistent effort to undermine the health care of millions of Americans — but his rhetoric is full of lies claiming that he’s doing the opposite.

In the letter opposing Kuster’s bill, the Trump administration claims to be in favor of “improving care for people with pr-eexisting conditions.” In speeches, Trump loudly proclaims, “Republicans will always support pre-existing conditions!”

Yet when Congress has a bill to do exactly that, Trump issues a veto threat.

And Republicans once again made the decision to stand by Trump and turn their back on millions of Americans.

Published with permission of The American Independent. 

IMAGE: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).