GOP faction holding the House hostage: Marc Thiessen
Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen dissects the ongoing battle for House speaker after Republicans remain divided in additional voting.
Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen issued a strong warning Wednesday to the group of anti-Kevin McCarthy Republicans putting up roadblocks in selecting the House speaker as voting dragged on another day without a winner.
"If this is the model of the future for the next two years, we're in big trouble on the Republican Party," Thiessen said on "America Reports" as 20 Republicans once again blocked McCarthy's election.
"If this is the future of the next two years of the House where everything we try to do is held hostage by a small band of people, then this is going to be the most chaotic and failed House majority in the history of the country."
Opposing reps.-elect include Colorado's Lauren Boebert and Florida's Matt Gaetz as well as Texas' Chip Roy, who nominated Rep.-elect Byron Donalds, R-Fla., in the fourth vote for speaker Wednesday.
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WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 04: U.S. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) talks to members-elect in the House Chamber during the second day of elections for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 04, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Thiessen's analysis came after the fourth round of voting, where Donalds acquired 20 votes from Republicans, leaving McCarthy with 201 after Rep.-elect Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., changed her vote to "present." Democratic nominee Rep.-elect Hakeem Jeffries received 212 votes.
Thiessen argued the "irony" of the unfolding drama stems from the weak outcome for Republicans in the November midterms, where a surprising amount of GOP candidates were "rejected" by voters, leaving the party only a slim majority in the House.
"If the red wave arrived, this would never be happening," Thiessen said. "If we had a 30-vote majority and there had been a red wave, this wouldn't be happening today because they wouldn't need those five, you know, now growing a faction of votes."
While he argued their influence has strengthened due to the weak performance, Thiessen noted the GOP faction's power is still "limited."
"They have the power to stop Kevin McCarthy from becoming speaker if they hold their ground. They don't have the power to elect a speaker of their own because the majority of the House is more moderate," he said.
Former President Donald Trump's endorsement of McCarthy Wednesday did not sway any votes, leading Thiessen to conclude that the party needs to "move on beyond" their former party leader.
"He's a shrinking former president," Thiessen remarked.
With dissenting Republicans "holding the House hostage," Thiessen argued if McCarthy were to find a way to squeeze out the 218 votes needed, the amount of concessions required with give the most extreme Republicans more power.
"What I worry about going forward is that if McCarthy were to succeed at this point… he's got a gun to his head now," Thiessen said. "He's given made so many concessions to this group that you're going to have a faction of about five of the most extreme Republicans in the House caucus who basically have veto power over anything that the House Republican caucus does."
"Has he given up so much and would another speaker candidate who stepped in to replace him have to make those same concessions to get the job?"
McCarthy has remained staunch in his bid for speaker, arguing he has "earned" the position. Thiessen, however, rejected that notion and argued the party may have to come to a consensus on a new leader.
"He is not entitled to the speakership of the House of Representatives. And I don't know that he's earned it. The Republican Party put in the worst performance of any party in the minority since JFK," Theissen remarked.
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"If Kevin McCarthy can't put this away, at some point, we're going to have to move on," he continued.
"It's not about him. It's about advancing conservative ideas and getting the best speaker who can do that who can bring the whole caucus together."
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