Kevin McCarthy defends Jan. 6 comments about Trump resignation

Kevin McCarthy
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R) defended himself against criticism from the hardline Trumpist wing of his party on Wednesday after audio recordings of comments he made following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot were released last week, The Washington Post reports.

McCarthy, who is angling to become Speaker of the House if Republicans reclaim the chamber in November, said at a meeting with top Republicans in the days after the riot that he'd "had it with" then-President Donald Trump and that he planned to advise Trump to resign, according to excerpts from a new book by New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns.

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Grayson Quay

Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-GazetteModern AgeThe American ConservativeThe Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.