House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy struggles with Trump-Ukraine call on 60 Minutes

Kevin McCarthy on 60 Minutes — (Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/60 Minutes)

People who have read out loud the White House's reconstructed transcript of President Trump's July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, or heard it read aloud, describe it as something straight out of a mafia film. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) apparently never heard it read out loud before CBS News' Scott Pelley recited a key part of it to him for Sunday's 60 Minutes — or perhaps he just never read the transcript carefully.

After McCarthy appeared surprised that Trump told Zelensky "I would like you to do us a favor, though," he quickly moved on to arguing that the House shouldn't have opened an impeachment inquiry on Trump. When Pelley noted that he was veering into White House talking points, McCarthy replied: "I've never seen one talking point from the White House." That seems improbable, not only because the White House emailed those talking points to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats by mistake, but also because, according to The New York Times and Politico, McCarthy was one of about a dozen GOP lawmakers invited to the White House before the transcript's release to "get an early look at the readout and coordinate their talking points."

Still, "the most notable part of this is that [McCarthy] will not defend the call — will only say it is not impeachable," argues New York Times reporter Jonathan Martin. Watch the clip below, underneath a little commentary from a former member of McCarthy's caucus. Peter Weber

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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.