Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was finally elected Speaker of the House in the 15th round of voting, which began shortly before midnight EST Friday night.
And according to one report, McCarthy has Donald Trump to thank for it.
Sources told Breitbart News that McCarthy’s election as speaker was facilitated by a compromise reached with the help of former President Donald J. Trump. One source was Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the incoming chair of the House Judiciary Committee.
“This doesn’t get done without the support and leadership of President Trump,” he told Breitbart.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) also said that Trump “has played a nice part” in the negotiations that finally saw McCarthy win the gavel.
“Another source familiar with the matter indicated that Trump had been engaged in the process since early December, making phone calls throughout the month to whip votes and consolidate support behind McCarthy. These calls were not mere one-offs but included ongoing correspondences with many different lawmakers,” Breitbart reports. “Trump’s involvement persisted throughout this week, including in talks last night and this morning ahead of the crucial breakthrough for McCarthy, according to the source.”
“His statements that he put out in support of Kevin McCarthy, it was like cement for our 201 that refused to move away from Kevin,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) told Breitbart. “It told many of them that, ‘Look, the support is there.’ Trump telling everyone in that statement that ‘I’m calling. I’m working the phones. I’m talking with everybody.’ That was support that was needed at a critical time when members could have fallen off.”
Trump also called Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) Friday evening and played a crucial role in getting them to vote “present” in the final round and lower the threshold of votes McCarthy needed to win the speakership.
Former President Trump placed called to both Andy Biggs and Matt Gaetz as all the drama played out on the House floor, I’m told. Both of them have changed their votes to “present” this round.
— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) January 7, 2023
Well, the drama is over, and now it’s time to get to business!
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