Patrick McHenry Threatened to Quit

“In a closed-door meeting Thursday, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) told GOP colleagues he might resign as speaker pro tempore if Republicans push him to try to move legislation on the floor without an explicit vote to expand his powers,” NBC News reports.

Said McHenry: “If you guys try to do that, you’ll figure out who the next person on Kevin’s list is.”

“McHenry’s comments underscore the quandary Republicans are in: They can’t really do anything until they choose a new speaker, but they can’t agree on someone who can get the votes to be that new speaker.”