Listen to Kevin McCarthy say he will tell Trump to resign after Jan. 6 Capitol riot, contradicting new denial
Six days after the Jan. 6, 2021, siege of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told a handful of House GOP colleagues "I've had it with this guy," meaning Trump, and he planned to call Trump and urge him to resign in the face of likely impeachment, according excerpts released Thursday from a new book by New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns.
A spokesman for McCarthy told the Times that the GOP House leader "never said he'd call Trump to say he should resign," and McCarthy said in a statement the Times' reporting is "totally false and wrong."
But the phone conversation in which McCarthy said those things was recorded, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow revealed Thursday night, and Martin and Burns "have shared that audio of this call with us so that we can share it with you tonight, so that you can know that when Kevin McCarthy denies that this happened, he is not telling the truth."
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.
"The audio threatens to badly damage the relationship between McCarthy and Trump, who remains the most popular figure in the Republican Party, despite his role in inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection and his refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election," The Associated Press reports. "And it could threaten McCarthy's standing with House Republicans aligned with Trump, whose support he will need for votes to become House speaker next year."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The age of criminal responsibilityThe Explainer England and Wales ‘substantially out of kilter with the rest of the world’, says filmmaker whose drama tops Netflix charts
-
Spiralism is the new cult AI users are falling intoUnder the radar Technology is taking a turn
-
Can for-profit geoengineering put a pause on climate change?In the Spotlight Stardust Solutions wants to dim the sun. Scientists are worried.
-
Tariffs: Will Trump’s reversal lower prices?Feature Retailers may not pass on the savings from tariff reductions to consumers
-
Trump: Is he losing control of MAGA?Feature We may be seeing the ‘first meaningful right-wing rebellion against autocracy of this era’
-
Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein: a TimelineIN DEPTH The alleged relationship between deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump has become one of the most acute threats to the president’s power
-
Why is Donald Trump suddenly interested in Sudan?Today's Big Question A push from Saudi Arabia’s crown prince helped
-
US government shutdown: why the Democrats ‘caved’In the Spotlight The recent stalemate in Congress could soon be ‘overshadowed by more enduring public perceptions’
-
‘The issue isn’t talent but moral guidance’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
