What the far-right's charge to remove Pelosi could mean for Kevin McCarthy

The far-right House Freedom Caucus has put House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in a tricky situation — they're calling to remove Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) from her post as House Speaker following her decision to bar two GOP picks from the Jan. 6 select committee, Politico reports.
In a letter sent Friday, the conservative group — which boasts incendiary members like Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) — asks McCarthy to "pursue the authorization of the House Republican Conference" and "bring up a privileged motion ... to vacate the chair and end Nancy Pelosi's authoritarian reign as speaker of the house." The caucus then contends that Pelosi's "tenure is destroying the House of Representatives" and its ability to "faithfully represent" the American people.
Pundits have pointed out that while the group's call to remove Pelosi has "no chance of succeeding," it does put McCarthy in a difficult position. If the minority leader were to initiate the motion, "it would further escalate partisan acrimony in the House," reports Politico. But if he doesn't, he runs the risk of losing House Freedom Caucus votes in his odyssey to become speaker. It's perhaps a sort of test.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Furthermore, should McCarthy move forward, he can certainly expect Democrats to "dish it back" down the line.
But again — Democrats ultimately "have the votes to prevail" against any motion to implement such a measure. As Fox News' Chad Pergram points out, it's all a game of "multi-level chess."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Nvidia: unstoppable force, or powering down?
Talking Point Sales of firm's AI-powering chips have surged above market expectations –but China is the elephant in the room
-
5 hard-working cartoons about Labor Day celebrations
Cartoons Artists take on creation of AI, spelling mistakes, and more
-
Codeword: September 7, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
-
Florida aims to end all state vaccine requirements
Speed Read Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to cut vaccine access and install anti-vaccine activists at the FDA and CDC
-
US kills 11 on 'drug-carrying boat' off Venezuela
Speed Read Trump claimed those killed in the strike were 'positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists' shipping drugs to the US
-
Trump vows to send federal forces to Chicago, Baltimore
Speed Read The announcement followed a California judge ruling that Trump's LA troop deployment was illegal