Kevin McCarthy

McCarthy Hands Clinton Gift By Undermining Hearings

October 2, 2015 at 6:59 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 43 Comments

Hillary Clinton’s “upcoming appearance before the U.S. House Select Committee on Benghazi was supposed to be a crucible: a chance for Republicans to prosecute the former secretary of state for her handling of the 2012 terrorist attacks that killed four Americans as well as for her use of a private e-mail server,” the Washington Post reports.

“Instead, it may have turned into a political gift for Clinton following this week’s suggestion by the likely next House speaker, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), that the taxpayer-funded Benghazi investigation was politically motivated. Clinton’s allies say his comments will help recast Clinton’s scheduled Oct. 22 hearing as a partisan inquisition rather than a fact-finding mission about the attacks in Libya.”

“McCarthy boasted in two television interviews on Tuesday that the committee’s work already had achieved a desired result: Clinton’s decline in the polls.”

McCarthy Says Benghazi Committee Has Hurt Clinton

September 30, 2015 at 10:04 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 100 Comments

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) credited the House Benghazi investigation for driving down Hillary Clinton’s approval ratings, the Washington Post reports.

Said McCarthy: “Everybody though Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping. Why? Because she’s untrustable. But no one would have known any of that had happened, had we not fought.”

McCarthy Has a Lock on Speaker

September 28, 2015 at 10:03 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 10 Comments

First Read: “As for the race to replace Boehner, it appears that it’s Kevin McCarthy’s race to lose — McCarthy is currently the No. 2 as House Majority Leader. Both Reps. Steve Scalise and Cathy McMorris Rodgers appear to be running for McCarthy’s job as majority leader. Remember, if Scalise (the majority whip) or Rodgers (the No. 4 in House leadership) loses, they get to keep their current post, so both essentially have a free shot.”

“Meanwhile, it’s interesting that Rep. Jeb Hensarling isn’t trying to make a run for speaker (or even Majority Leader). Is he the Texas Hamlet? Perhaps. But maybe his attitude is to see what happens later this year, especially if McCarthy has to make decisions that could alienate House conservatives.”

McCarthy Promises More Confrontation with Democrats

September 27, 2015 at 8:09 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 90 Comments

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), “who is quietly locking down support to be the next House speaker, is privately assuring Republicans he’ll take a tougher stand against the White House — and also the Senate GOP leadership,” CNN reports.

“He’s hearing from members angry that the GOP Congress has not advanced the conservative cause more forcefully, and he’s responding with a clear message: He is willing to take a more confrontational stand with the White House and the Senate to achieve the results the party has sought to enact.”

Wall Street Journal: “The most militant House Republicans are expected to be emboldened by Mr. Boehner’s departure, and even less likely to agree to a compromise with Democrats in setting spending levels for the rest of fiscal year 2016.”

McCarthy’s Remarkable Ascent

September 26, 2015 at 10:33 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 33 Comments

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) “is expected to complete what can only be described as one of the most historic climbs to power in U.S. political history,” Politico reports.

“The former deli owner turned Capitol Hill aide turned lawmaker will be third in line to the presidency, behind Barack Obama and Joe Biden. He is only 15 years removed from his first run for public office: a trustee for the Kern Community College District.”

Fundraising Fuels McCarthy’s Rise to Power

June 5, 2015 at 7:22 am EDT By Taegan Goddard 15 Comments

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) “celebrated his first election to Congress at an In-N-Out Burger, sipping sodas from paper cups at Formica tables with his wife and children… Eight years later, as the new House majority leader, McCarthy commands a multimillion-dollar political operation featuring lavish meals, opulent getaways with lobbyists, and privately chartered aircraft,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

“In the two years leading up to last fall’s election, McCarthy, through his reelection campaign and leadership PAC, spent $140,000 on steakhouses alone. He paid $426,000 to companies that charter private jets, covering 46 trips. And he raised at least $10.5 million for his own and party political committees. That spending and fundraising have fueled one of the fastest rises to power in congressional history.”

GOP Leader Suggests Immigration Strategy Shift

January 29, 2015 at 3:56 pm EST By Taegan Goddard 8 Comments

Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) began “planting the seed that Republicans might need a different vehicle to fight President Obama’s executive action on immigration other than the Department of Homeland Security funding bill,” Roll Call reports.

“What that best way would be is not mentioned. But Republican leadership has started to mention another lawsuit against the president could be in the cards. Additional legislation might also be another avenue, though it won’t have the same force as the DHS funding bill, which is a must-pass measure if Congress wants to fund the agency past Feb. 27.”

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