Rep. Smith Statement on Speaker Kevin McCarthy
October 3, 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.) today issued the following statement regarding the vote to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
"Kevin McCarthy has been one of the worst Speakers in the history of this country. He has been wholly partisan, refusing to work with Democrats at every turn and launching a completely baseless impeachment inquiry into President Biden to appease Donald Trump and the MAGA base. The one occasion he worked with Democrats - to avoid a catastrophic default on our debt - he lied and went back on the deal almost immediately. His word means nothing. For how terrible he has been, Democrats still have to decide whether to help him retain his Speakership. The answer is clearly no. Some say removing him could lead to chaos or that someone more extreme could replace him, but the reality is that his Speakership has been defined by chaos. He has been MAGA's Speaker since day one, bringing us to the brink of a default on our debt and then to the brink of a government shutdown.
"The bottom line is that Kevin McCarthy has done irrefutable damage to the institution of Congress and no Democrat should have any part in helping him retain his Speakership. He sided with Donald Trump and the insurrections over January 6, undermining a bipartisan investigation into the attack on Congress. He has continued to support Donald Trump at every turn, even as the former President has set his sights on destroying this country. Kevin McCarthy does what's best for Kevin McCarthy, putting his own interests above the interests of the American people.
"Previous Speakers have had the respect to step down when they no longer have the support of their conference, but not McCarthy. He continues to argue today that he should remain Speaker for the good of the institution. That could not be further from the truth. The sooner that Kevin McCarthy is not Speaker, the sooner we can start reducing the damage that he has done. As long as McCarthy is Speaker, the institution of Congress will continue to be pummeled."
"Kevin McCarthy has been one of the worst Speakers in the history of this country. He has been wholly partisan, refusing to work with Democrats at every turn and launching a completely baseless impeachment inquiry into President Biden to appease Donald Trump and the MAGA base. The one occasion he worked with Democrats - to avoid a catastrophic default on our debt - he lied and went back on the deal almost immediately. His word means nothing. For how terrible he has been, Democrats still have to decide whether to help him retain his Speakership. The answer is clearly no. Some say removing him could lead to chaos or that someone more extreme could replace him, but the reality is that his Speakership has been defined by chaos. He has been MAGA's Speaker since day one, bringing us to the brink of a default on our debt and then to the brink of a government shutdown.
"The bottom line is that Kevin McCarthy has done irrefutable damage to the institution of Congress and no Democrat should have any part in helping him retain his Speakership. He sided with Donald Trump and the insurrections over January 6, undermining a bipartisan investigation into the attack on Congress. He has continued to support Donald Trump at every turn, even as the former President has set his sights on destroying this country. Kevin McCarthy does what's best for Kevin McCarthy, putting his own interests above the interests of the American people.
"Previous Speakers have had the respect to step down when they no longer have the support of their conference, but not McCarthy. He continues to argue today that he should remain Speaker for the good of the institution. That could not be further from the truth. The sooner that Kevin McCarthy is not Speaker, the sooner we can start reducing the damage that he has done. As long as McCarthy is Speaker, the institution of Congress will continue to be pummeled."
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Issues:
Government