Note: This article may contain commentary reflecting the author's opinion.
On Friday, Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL) sent a follow-up letter to the Architect of the Capitol, demanding the eviction of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from the Speaker of the House’s Office.
This comes after Gaetz sent an earlier letter to Capitol Architect J. Brett Branton, in which Gaetz called McCarthy a “squatter.”
Gaetz began by saying, “On January 3rd, I reached out to your office regarding the pressing matter of Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s occupation of the Speaker of the House Office in the U.S. Capitol. Your Director of Legislative… As of this morning, January 6th, a speaker from the 118th Congress has not been elected.”
“After 3 days of voting and 11 ballots, no member can lay claim to this office. My questions remain: 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, and how long will he remain there before he is considered a squatter? Please write back by 5:00 P.M. today as it seems Mr. McCarthy will not be elected Speaker of the House,” Gaetz ends.
‘I WILL RESIGN:’ MATT GAETZ GIVES DETAILS ON SPEAKER DEBATE, SAYS TRUMP IS ‘WRONG’ FOR MCCARTHY ENDORSEMENT
As the election of Kevin McCarthy to the Speaker of the House is still uncertain as the twelfth vote for Speaker ends in defeat, Gaetz’s follow-up letter may still be relevant if the Republican leader is unable to get past the 218 threshold. It is clear that there are a handful of holdouts that remain to his Speakership, although progress has been made with nearly a dozen of the opposition joining McCarthy.
On Friday, Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL) sent a follow-up letter to the Architect of the Capitol, demanding the eviction of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from the Speaker of the House’s Office.
This comes after Gaetz sent an earlier letter to Capitol Architect J. Brett Branton, in which Gaetz called McCarthy a “squatter.”
Gaetz began by saying, “On January 3rd, I reached out to your office regarding the pressing matter of Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s occupation of the Speaker of the House Office in the U.S. Capitol. Your Director of Legislative… As of this morning, January 6th, a speaker from the 118th Congress has not been elected.”
“After 3 days of voting and 11 ballots, no member can lay claim to this office. My questions remain: 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, and how long will he remain there before he is considered a squatter? Please write back by 5:00 P.M. today as it seems Mr. McCarthy will not be elected Speaker of the House,” Gaetz ends.
‘I WILL RESIGN:’ MATT GAETZ GIVES DETAILS ON SPEAKER DEBATE, SAYS TRUMP IS ‘WRONG’ FOR MCCARTHY ENDORSEMENT
As the election of Kevin McCarthy to the Speaker of the House is still uncertain as the twelfth vote for Speaker ends in defeat, Gaetz’s follow-up letter may still be relevant if the Republican leader is unable to get past the 218 threshold. It is clear that there are a handful of holdouts that remain to his Speakership, although progress has been made with nearly a dozen of the opposition joining McCarthy.