Former Congressman Kevin McCarthy is said to be undertaking a “revenge operation” against those who ended his tenure as Speaker of the House.
McCarthy was voted out of the speakership last October by a slim margin after a handful of Republicans sided with Democrats in supporting a motion to vacate.
Now, according to a report from Politico, McCarthy is reportedly plotting his revenge against the eight Republican lawmakers he believes betrayed him.
The outlet reported:
A top McCarthy ally, Brian O. Walsh, is overseeing an attempt to recruit primary challengers to take on members of the infamous “Gaetz Eight” — the Capitol’s nickname for Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and seven Republicans who supported his fire-McCarthy push — according to six people familiar with the plans who were granted anonymity to discuss them.
This will reportedly involve leveraging McCarthy’s extensive “donor network” to target candidates such as Gaetz with strong, well-funded primary challenges.
“These traitors chose to side with Nancy Pelosi, AOC and over 200 Democrats to undermine the institution, their fellow Republicans and a duly elected Speaker,” Walsh was quoted as saying. “There must be consequences for that decision.”
As the report explains, among those first to be targeted include Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Bob Good of Virginia, and Eli Crane of Arizona:
That quiet work shows McCarthy’s appetite for payback remains intense, even months after his October ouster as speaker and December departure from Congress. It also illustrates that even out of office, the former speaker and his supporters can make life miserable for his detractors — a further sign that the House GOP power struggle between burn-it-down hardliners and more establishment conservatives is alive and well.
Walsh is acting with McCarthy’s blessing. While the former speaker is not involved in the day-to-day work of the project, he is briefed on its progress, as are key donors, according to a person familiar with the effort who was granted anonymity to discuss it.
His efforts are still unlikely to be successful in this year’s Congressional cycle. His number one target is understood to be Nancy Mace, whose vote he viewed as a major betrayal and whose South Carolina district is described as “Ground Zero for McCarthy’s revenge tour.”
McCarthy’s anger was compounded by his longtime pursuit of the speakership, a position he coveted since first entering Congress in 2006. However, his influence in the world of politics will be diminished by his decision to leave frontline politics at the end of last year, resigning his California congressional seat.
During his farewell speech, McCarthy declared he had no regrets about his decision to negotiate a continuing resolution with Democrats to prevent a government shutdown.
“One thing I think we must quite understand, and if there’s advice I can give: Do not be fearful if you believe your philosophy brings people more freedom,” he said at the time. “Do not be fearful that you could lose your job over it.”
“I knew the day we decided to make sure to choose to pay our troops while war was breaking out, instead of shutting down, was the right decision. I also knew a few would make a motion. Somehow they disagreed with that decision. Do it anyways. I would do it all again.”