National & Minnesota Report
Moments ago, House Resolution 747 was offered by Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL01) to declare the Speaker’s position vacant. On a vote of 216 to 210 Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA20) was ousted. This is the first time in our nation’s history for this to occur. The Minnesota delegation voted by party line, with Republicans voting for McCarthy and Democrats voting against. One interesting facet was the absence of a vote from former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA11).
The eight Republicans voting for McCarthy’s removal were: Reps Andy Biggs (R-AZ05) Ken Buck (R-CO04), Tim Burchett (R-TN02), Eli Crane (R-AZ02), Gaetz, Bob Good (R-VA05), Nancy Mace (R-SC01) and Matthew Rosendale (R-MT02).
During the debate, Gaetz had to use a microphone on the Democratic side of the chamber because McCarthy loyalists blocked access to microphones on their side of the body. Earlier, this session the cloud over Gaetz for allegations of sexual trafficking were not pursued by the Department of Justice.