Kevin McCarthy's sin was trying to be virtuous
![Kevin McCarthy.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JAf7RAAGsv4V9ZdETm55Zb-415-80.jpg)
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is suddenly caught in the most curious of scandals.
On Rachel Maddow's MSNBC show Thursday night, The New York Times reporters behind a new book about the Jan. 6 insurrection played a tape of a conference call between House Republican leaders following the riots. On the Jan. 10 recording, McCarthy suggested to Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) that he would seek Trump's resignation while House Democrats plotted to impeach the then-president.
"Again, the only discussion I would have with him is that I think this will pass, and it would be my recommendation you should resign," McCarthy said of impeachment. "Um, I mean that would be my take, but I don't think he would take it. But I don't know."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
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 revelation probably will land McCarthy in hot water with Trump's MAGA minions in the House — Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) has already taken a shot at him — and possibly with Trump himself. McCarthy's long-held hopes of becoming speaker of the House "may have just blown up on the launchpad," Politico observed Friday morning.
Stop a second, though, to consider the nature of the scandal. McCarthy is in trouble because — briefly and privately — he talked about doing the right thing for the country.
At the moment McCarthy and Cheney were talking, Trump had pretty clearly broken his oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" by trying to undermine and reverse Joe Biden's election. The reasonable thing to do at that moment was to separate Trump from power as soon as possible. Heck, it's still the correct course of action.
McCarthy is in trouble because he momentarily seemed reasonable. It's an anti-scandal.
The moment soon passed. Before long, McCarthy was trekking to Mar-a-Lago to seek Trump's blessing, and after that he helped boot Cheney from the GOP leadership team because she continued to criticize Trump and his insurrection publicly. He has placed himself firmly on the side of the former president.
But he's never had full command of his party — not the way, say, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) does in Congress' upper chamber. McCarthy always seemed a bit too needy, having whiffed on a previous shot at becoming speaker. I've long thought that he had bad odds of taking the top spot. Now those odds seem even longer, even if (as expected) the GOP wins the House majority this fall.
And that shows just how much Trump has helped distort and upend the Republican Party's sense of right and wrong. Kevin McCarthy's sin is that he once contemplated being virtuous, and he'll pay the price. Ambitious Republicans probably won't make that mistake again.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
Why Roman epic Those About to Die has split the critics
Talking Point Sword and sandals miniseries starring Anthony Hopkins puts spectacle above story
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Why is China stockpiling resources?
The Explainer The superpower has been amassing huge reserves of commodities at great cost despite its economic downturn
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Paraguay's dangerous dalliance with cryptocurrency
Under The Radar Overheating Paraguayans are pushing back over power outages caused by illegal miners
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Why is China stockpiling resources?
The Explainer The superpower has been amassing huge reserves of commodities at great cost despite its economic downturn
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
The GOP is Donald Trump Jr.'s party now
In The Spotlight The former president's gun-loving, live-streaming adult son has emerged as more than just his father's namesake — he's become a Republican powerhouse of his own
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
For God and country: is religion in politics making a comeback?
Talking Point There are many MPs of faith in the new Labour government despite it being the most openly secular House of Commons in history
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The attack on Donald Trump
Opinion We've seen this kind of shooter before
By Susan Caskie Published
-
74 things Donald Trump has said about women
Feature The former president has a long history of controversial remarks about the opposite sex
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
How Biden's enablers may have delayed his bowing out
Talking Points Joe Biden's inner circle faces calls for a reckoning for allegedly shielding the president — and the public — from questions of aging and electoral viability
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
DHS opens review of Trump assassination attempt
Speed Read An independent panel will investigate the Secret Service's handling of the shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Can Kamala Harris beat Trump?
Today's Big Question Some senior Democrats are unsure the vice-president can win in November even as party closes ranks behind her
By The Week UK Published