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MAGA Congressman Threatens to Resign if Republicans Strike Deal with Democrats

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

As the 118th Congress reconvenes for the fourth day with no Speaker some lawmakers can feel the desperation in the air.

As House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy heads into what will be the twelfth round of voting one of the more boisterous detractors says he is prepared to resign from Congress if Republicans strike a deal with Democrats to support a more moderate candidate.

“These 212 Democrats are going to vote for Hakeem Jeffries every single time. He’s a historic candidate. They’re not going to cleave off,” Gaetz told Fox News’s Laura Ingraham on Thursday when asked if he thought centrist Democrats would back McCarthy if they were promised co-control of House committees.

“If Democrats join up to elect a moderate Republican, I will resign,” Gaetz continued.

Gaetz, who has voted against McCarthy’s nomination during each round of voting says that no concessions the California Republican offers swill be enough to sway his vote.

“He’s the masthead of the lobby core. I resent to which Kevin McCarthy utilizes the lobbyists and the special interests to be able to dictate how political decisions are made. How policy decisions are made, how leadership decisions are made. Kevin McCarthy has been in the leadership for 14 years. He’s sold shares of himself to special interests, to political action committees, and that’s why I don’t think he’s right.”

The Florida Congressman, who cast his vote for Donald Trump for Speaker during Thursday’s round of voting, says that he believes Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) could garner 218 votes if McCarthy withdraws from consideration.

“If Kevin McCarthy got out of this race, Jim Jordan would get into it,” Gaetz said. “And I believe he would win and invigorate our movement. He’s broadly trusted in every corner of the Republican Party and with a lot of our donors and supporters and activists. That’s the type of option if McCarthy bows out.”

Thursday evening McCarthy indicated he may have a path to Speaker after all. A new deal has emerged that McCarthy hopes will propel him forward.

Lawmakers said the framework gives members of the House Freedom Caucus (HFC) who have been resisting McCarthy virtually everything they’ve been asking for. That includes a stronger HFC representation on key House committees, guardrails aimed at curbing excessive federal spending, and allowing just a single member of the House to make a motion to replace the speaker, lawmakers familiar with the framework told Fox News.

GOP Congressman Votes for Donald Trump for House Speaker

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

During the 118th Congress’ seventh round of voting to determine the next Speaker of the House of Representatives one lawmaker to cast his vote for Donald J. Trump.

The largely symbolic vote came from Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, who has been a prominent figure among the roughly 20 lawmakers to detract from supporting House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy for the role.

Gaetz has repeatedly floated the idea of Trump becoming speaker, pledging to nominate him since 2021.

However, Gaetz has admitted to Fox News on Thursday that McCarthy’s win is potentially unavoidable, but argued he would be a speaker with a “straight jacket.”

“There are only two outcomes here: Either Kevin McCarthy withdraws from the speaker’s race, or he has to wake up every morning and put on the world’s best constructive straight jacket before doing the prayer and the pledge at the beginning of House session,” Gaetz said, adding that several of his colleagues were working to on “how to construct that straight jacket.”

“Kevin McCarthy has offered everything he can think to offer and everything we can think to ask for due to his current state of desperation, and I can’t tell you whether or not that will be enough to get him there. I doubt it will,” he said.

Kevin McCarthy recieved 201 votes, Byron Donalds recieved 19 votes, Hakeem Jeffries recieved 212 votes for Speaker during the seventh round of voting.

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Byron Donalds Responds to Racist Attacks from Democrat Congresswoman

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Cori Bush via Wikimedia Commons

Florida Congressman Byron Donalds (R) is not letting liberal Congresswoman Cori Bush’s racist broadsides against him go unchecked.

On Wednesday, House Republicans hardliners nominated Donalds as an alternative pick for House speaker, resulting in the first ballot to include two black nominees to be speaker. However, instead of praising the historic moment and celebrating the progress man Bush honed in on Donalds’ policy agenda for “perpetuating white supremacy.”

The Congresswoman told HuffPost, “It seems as if they’re using him as a prop, as a tool, not because they think that he’s great, that he’s done all of these things to lead them,” Bush said. “I don’t like that they’re using him that way. I don’t want them to use him that way. And I want him to understand: They’re only using you… don’t let them do that to you. Make them treat you with dignity and respect.”

She continued: “To hear Chip Roy stand up and say this is not about color … it absolutely 100% is because if you were nominating him on his worth and merit, I think none of us would have been surprised because we would have seen him do leadership things.”

“@ByronDonalds is not a historic candidate for Speaker. He is a prop. Despite being Black, he supports a policy agenda intent on upholding and perpetuating white supremacy. His name being in the mix is not progress—it’s pathetic,” Bush tweeted in response to a Republican defector lauding Donalds.

Rep. Donalds swiftly fired back against the Congresswoman’s comments while calling out her insulting behavior.

“If you see a Black man rise, let the man rise even if you disagree with them. I’d be happy to sit down and debate our policies one on one whenever you’d like. As a black man to a black woman, I’d never do that to you. It’s a shame you did it to me,” Donalds tweeted alongside a clip of a Fox Business interview in which he addressed the rift.

 Bishop nominated Donalds on the floor during the latest round of voting, defending his ability to lead the House of Representatives.

“I’ve spent a good bit of time with Mr. Donalds, especially lately. He ain’t no prop!” Bishop said, adding, “I know Byron — he’s not a prop. He’s a man of personal conviction.”

Congress remains in a stalemate heading into its seventh round of proceedings Thursday, with McCarthy having failed to secure a majority during previous rounds of voting earlier this week. At most, he has earned 203 votes, below the 218-vote threshold, and faces opposition of about 20 members.

In a bid to win over the detractor, the California Republican reportedly offered to lower the threshold for a vote to oust a speaker, allow more members of the Freedom Caucus on the House Rules Committee, and have the Republican-aligned political action committee, the Congressional Leadership Fund, will not get involved in open Republican primaries.

Editor’s note: This article was published before the seventh round of voting was complete. Rep. McCarthy failed to secure 218 votes needed.

Democrat Senator Announces Cancer Diagnosis

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Photo via Pixabay images

On Thursday, Pennsylvania Democrat Senator Bob Casey announced he was diagnosed with prostate cancer last month.

Casey, 62, said he will have surgery in the coming months and expects to continue serving in the Senate. He is the chairman of the Aging Committee.

“Last month, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. While the news came back as a shock, I can report that I have an excellent prognosis, as well as the benefit of exceptional medical care and the unwavering support of my family. In the coming months I will undergo surgery, after which I am expected to make a full recovery. I am confident that my recommended course of treatment will allow me to continue my service in the 118th Congress with minimal disruption, and I look forward to the work ahead.” Sen Casey shared on Thursday.

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House Reconvenes for Fourth Round of House Speaker Election

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Byron Donalds via Gage Skidmore Flickr

On Wednesday, Congressional lawmakers reconvened to hold its fourth round of voting to determine the next U.S. House Speaker.

Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif) was nominated for Speaker as was New York Congressman Hakeem Jeffries. House Freedom Caucus chairman Chip Roy nominated Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) for the Speaker’s gavel.

While the fourth round of voting is ongoing, Rep. Donalds has already secured 20 votes for Speaker, meaning McCarthy will once again fall short of the 218 threshold- sending Congress to a fifth round of voting.

Notably, no Republican followed Tuesday’s lead to nominate Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan. Jordan, who is expected to chair the House Judiciary Committee received 19 votes for Speaker during Tuesday’s round of voting.

Rep. Jordan cast his vote for Rep. McCarthy for House Speaker.

On Tuesday, no nominee received the 218 votes needed to win the Speaker’s gavel sending lawmakers into chaos.

Over the weekend, Rep. McCarthy offered a number of concessions including allowing a move to “vacate the chair” that would force a vote on ousting the Speaker with the approval of five Republican members, rather than a threshold of at least half of the House GOP Conference that Republicans adopted in an internal rule in November. 

The chamber is also scheduled to create a House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the “Weaponization of the Federal Government,” a recognition of a request to increase scrutiny on the Biden administration and intelligence agencies.

In a letter to GOP colleagues, McCarthy — speaking as “Speaker-Designate” — also addressed a request from conservatives to have more representation on committees.

“I will use my selections on key panels to ensure they more closely reflect the ideological makeup of our conference, and will advocate for the same when it comes to the membership of standing committees. This will facilitate greater scrutiny of bills from the start so they stand a greater chance of passing in the end,” the letter from McCarthy said.

This story is breaking and will be updated as more information becomes available.

House Holds Second House Speaker Vote

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Jim Jordan via Gage Skidmore Flickr

On Tuesday, the 118th Congress held its second vote to determine who will serve as the next House Speaker.

The day’s second vote also ended in a stalemate after Kevin McCarthy once again fell short of securing 218 votes to become Speaker.

19 hardline Republicans voted for Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, and Democrat Rep. Hakeem Jeffries received 213 votes.

McCarthy received 203 votes during the second round of voting. The California Republican received 203 votes during the first round of voting

Rep. Jordan has yet to publicly comment on his nomination for Speaker. There is no historical precedent for a nominee to withdraw.

During the first round of voting Rep. Jordan nominated Rep. McCarthy for Speaker.

Jordan acknowledged that he and McCarthy “haven’t always agreed on everything,” but he said, “I like his fight. I like his tenacity.”

“We need to rally around him,” Jordan said as he outlined the priorities for the 118th Congress. Those priorities include passing bills that “fix the problems” related to immigration, energy policy, education policy and inflation; prevent massive spending packages from getting through; and conducting oversight and investigations.

“That’s what the American people want us to do. They want us to fight for the things they care about, and they elected us to do,” Jordan said. “We should all remember — only about 12,000 people have ever had the opportunity to do what we’re doing today — sit in this body, serve in this Congress.”

He added: “It is a privilege. It is an opportunity. We owe it to them, the American people, the good people of this great country to step forward, to come together, get a speaker elected so we can address these three things.”

Moments later Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) nominated Jordan, the expected

As Great America News Desk previously reported:

Kevin McCarthy, R- Calif., Andy Biggs D- Ariz., and Hakeen Jeffries D- N.Y. were nominated for the position but ultimately the vote ended in a stalemate as the California Republican failed to reach the 218 vote threshold. No nominee reached the required number of votes meaning House lawmakers now will engage in round after round of voting until a Speaker is elected.

According to The Hill, in the event of multiple ballots, the House will not necessarily continue late into the night. The last time there were multiple ballots, the House adjourned until the following day after four failed ballots. Adjourning also allows members time to negotiate and strike deals.

Dire circumstances could lead to unusual procedures. Twice before, in 1849 and 1856, the House agreed to a resolution that allowed a Speaker to be elected by a plurality. That move was something of a last resort, though, and came after 59 and 129 failed ballots. A majority of the whole House would need to agree to that resolution.

McCarthy’s failure to secure the Speaker’s gavel during Tuesday’s vote marks the first time in a century the U.S. House of Representatives has gone to multiple votes for the office.

Report:  DOJ has 99.8% conviction rate in MAGA riot cases

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President Biden’s highly politicized FBI is on a warpath.

A report by The Wall Street Journal showed the Department of Justice’s Federal prosecutions of the more than 900 people charged with unlawfully storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, have resulted in an overwhelming conviction rate of 99.8%.

More than 180 people have been put behind bars for committing federal crimes, including obstruction, assault, and sedition.

Virtually all who have since been arrested and charged had walked off Capitol grounds that day and were only taken into custody in the weeks and months after the incident.

Federal investigators said the insurrectionists’ social media posts bragging about the undertaking greatly helped the DOJ identify and go after those who it believed committed serious crimes. Police body cameras and security cameras in the vicinity also assisted prosecutors with tracking the more than 900 charged to date.

Some have blamed former President Trump for the protest-turned-riot Special counsel Jack Smith and the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol have been evaluating Trump’s role and considering possible charges.

Last month, the House Select Committee investigating the events surrounding the January 6th, 2021 Capitol riot unanimously voted to recommend the Department of Justice criminally prosecute the former president.

Donald Trump Points Finger at This Group for Lackluster Midterm Results

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Finger pointing almost never solves anything but that isn’t stopping Donald Trump.

On Monday, former President Trump blamed pro-life Republicans for last year’s disappointing midterm results after experts predicted the GOP to make definitive gains in the House and Senate. Trump’s comments come after some have blamed the results on the former President’s interference.

“It wasn’t my fault that the Republicans didn’t live up to expectations in the midterms,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “It was the ‘abortion issue,’ poorly handled by many Republicans, especially those that firmly insisted on No Exceptions, even in the case of rape, incest or life of the mother, that lost large numbers of voters.”

“Also, the people that pushed so hard, for decades, against abortion, got their wish from the U.S. Supreme Court, and just plain disappeared, not to be seen again,” he added.

Trump’s comments on pro-life Republicans come as his presidential campaign experiences a dip in the polls. Prior to the midterms, Trump was the overwhelming favorite to be the Republican nominee, regularly winning primary polls with upward of 50% of the vote.

Last month, a Wall Street Journal poll of Republican primary voters found that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) leads Trump by double digits for the GOP nomination.

McCarthy Offers Concessions in House Rules Package But Critics Doubt It Will Be Enough

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is getting desperate in his attempts to sway Republican detractors back in his favor.

According to The Hill, Rep. McCarthy offered a number of concessions including allowing a move to “vacate the chair” that would force a vote on ousting the Speaker with the approval of five Republican members, rather than a threshold of at least half of the House GOP Conference that Republicans adopted in an internal rule in November. 

The chamber is also scheduled to create a House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the “Weaponization of the Federal Government,” a recognition of a request to increase scrutiny on the Biden administration and intelligence agencies.

In a letter to GOP colleagues, McCarthy — speaking as “Speaker-Designate” — also addressed a request from conservatives to have more representation on committees.

“I will use my selections on key panels to ensure they more closely reflect the ideological makeup of our conference, and will advocate for the same when it comes to the membership of standing committees. This will facilitate greater scrutiny of bills from the start so they stand a greater chance of passing in the end,” the letter from McCarthy said.

However, despite McCarthy’s best attempts to re-attract hardline Republican lawmakers back to his side, some conservatives said after a Sunday conference call that McCarthy is still coming up short.

According to The Washington Examiner:

During the course of the call, multiple members “said they won’t vote for it [the rules package] if Kevin is not Speaker,” one lawmaker told The Examiner. Another member said moderates expressed grievances with the changes to the motion to vacate despite pro-McCarthy lawmakers attempting to sell the package to defectors in hopes it would shift critics’ support toward the California Republican.

“They started [the call] with this new rules package that we’re all about to see and are obviously saying the rules package – it’s great, everyone worked so hard, we got all these great things and they’re gonna be historic. And then [Gaetz] got on there and said, ‘Well, if everyone wants the rules package, we should accept it no matter who the speaker is because if these are good rules are good rules, right?’” the lawmaker said. “But then the mods piled on and said actually, we hate the rules package.”

Following the call, a group of conservatives released a letter saying the California Republican’s changes had come up short of what was needed to secure support.

“Regrettably, however, despite some progress achieved, Mr. McCarthy’s statement comes almost impossibly late to address continued deficiencies ahead of the opening of the 118th Congress on January 3rd. At this stage, it cannot be a surprise that expressions of vague hopes reflected in far too many of the crucial points still under debate are insufficient,” they wrote.

“This is especially true with respect to Mr. McCarthy’s candidacy for Speaker because the times call for radical departure from the status quo — not a continuation of past, and ongoing, Republican failures. For someone with a 14-year presence in senior House Republican leadership, Mr. McCarthy bears squarely the burden to correct the dysfunction he now explicitly admits across that long tenure.”

House Freedom Caucus chairman Scott Perry told The Hill on Sunday, “I think what he’s trying to do is the bare minimum that he needs to try and get to where he can get the votes. And that’s not indicative of somebody that really wants to embrace new ideas, reject the status quo and unify all members in the conference.”

Kevin McCarthy Makes Key Concession in House Speaker Battle

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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy delivers remarks at the 2021 Capitol Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in Washington DC, December 1, 2021. USDA Forest Service photo by Tanya E. Flores.

Current House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy just made a key concession in what has become an uphill battle to become Speaker of the House once the GOP takes control of Congress on Jan. 3rd.

Six Republican sources familiar with internal discussions told CNN that McCarthy conceded to reducing the threshold that is required to force a floor vote on ousting the sitting speaker in an effort to win over holdouts.

One of the numbers that has come up in recent conversations between McCarthy and GOP lawmakers – and which has not been previously reported – is a five-person threshold, according to two of the Republican sources.

Currently, the majority of the House GOP is required to call for the so-called motion to vacate the speaker’s chair. However, some conservatives such as Reps. Matt Gaetz (FL) and Ralph Norman (S.C.) are pushing for a single member to be able to call for such a vote, which they see as an important mechanism to hold the speaker accountable.

A five-person threshold, however, may be too low for the moderate wing of the party, some of whom have privately suggested they would be willing to agree on a 50-person threshold.

The compromise which McCarthy previously said he would not budge on could be key to unlocking the votes he needs to secure the speakership. But his willingness to negotiate on the issue also shows how desperate McCarthy is to seal the deal, even if it means giving away some of his power.

“The ‘devil is in the details’ as far as threshold & other rule concessions,” Norman said. “Until the details are spelled out, in writing and sealed with social media posts, people will not move on votes.”