Leaked audio recording suggests that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told GOP members that he planned to tell former United States President Donald Trump to resign following the chaos of the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol.
The recording contradicts the lawmaker's statement where he denied that he was considering such an action at the time. Hours prior to the release of the audio recording, McCarthy vehemently denied a report that suggested he considered the decision, calling it "false" and a "liberal agenda."
Leaked Audio Recording
The situation comes after former President Trump blasted presenter Piers Morgan and accused the TV host of doctoring an advert for a TV program that would showcase an interview between the two men. The advert showed the Republican businessman storming out of the set and telling the crew to turn the camera off.
A Trump spokesman later released an audio recording of the interview that claims the two men thanked each other after the interview. Conservative expert AB Stoddard reacted to McCarthy's leaked audio and said it was a "breathtaking failure" on the part of the Republican, as per Independent.
The bombshell recording was shared by New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns on Thursday evening. The recording captured a portion of a Jan. 10, 2021, GOP leadership call where McCarthy suggested taking advantage of House Democrats' efforts to impeach Trump for a second time.
Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming could be heard asking the House minority leader if he thinks that the Republican businessman might resign. In response, McCarthy said that he did not think so but suggested that he might have a conversation with Trump that night.
According to Business Insider, McCarthy said, "This is what I think: I think we know it'll pass the House. I think there's a chance it will pass the Senate even when he's gone," regarding the impeachment resolution. He then laid out how he would present the suggestion to the former president.
Gap Within the GOP
The recording also suggests that the two top Republicans in the GOP, McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, blasted Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 riot. McCarthy allegedly said, "I've had it with this guy."
However, the two officials never moved forward with their potential all-out fight with the Republican businessman in fear of retribution from him and his political movement. The two Republicans' drive to act faded as it became clear that it would only make it more difficult for them to gain votes.
The previously unknown expressions of outrage from the two top Republicans against Trump show the massive gap between what GOP leaders say privately about the former president and their public expression of opinion of him. This is primarily because Trump has held the party with an iron grip for the last half a decade.
McCarthy and McConnell's retreat from their statements also represented a capitulation at a moment of extraordinary political weakness for the former president. It is perhaps the last and best chance for mainstream Republicans to reclaim control of their party from a leader that is most notable for stoking an insurrection against American democracy itself, the New York Times reported.
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