House speaker vote: McCarthy thanks Trump for final votes as fight nearly breaks out on floor
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Your support makes all the difference.Kevin McCarthy was finally elected speaker of the House of Representatives after 15 rounds of voting, clinching the gavel just after midnight on Saturday.
The longest contest for speaker of the House of Representatives in more than a century finally came to an end as six remaining Republican holdouts opted to vote “present”, giving Mr McCarthy a majority over Democrat Hakeem Jeffries.
Earlier, Republican House member Mike Rogers had to be physically restrained after lunging at Matt Gaetz amid chaotic scenes in the House.
Congressman Richard Hudson grabbed Mr Rogers by his face and physically pulled him away.
In his first speech as speaker, Mr McCarthy thanked former president Donald Trump for “helping get those final votes”.
Mr McCarthy’s bid had been delayed by a group of far-right Republicans including the likes of Lauren Boebert and Mr Gaetz.
However, on Friday he made significant progress in the 12th ballot, managing to flip a total of 14 representatives-elect in his favour after lengthy negotiations.
Exclusive: AOC says Republican chaos shows how reasonable progressives like the Squad are
Shock scenes as Republican held back in confrontation with Matt Gaetz during Speaker vote
How Matt Gaetz and AOC cleared the air on their positions over Kevin McCarthy voteTrump phone-ins, near-fights and 15 votes: Key moments from a chaotic House Speaker election
Rep Bishop nominates Byron Donalds
Rep Dan Bishop of North Carolina nominates Florida Rep Byron Donalds as speaker.
Mr Bishop notes that yesterday the House could have voted in the first Black speaker in reference to Donalds.
Democrats chanted “Hakeem” loudly.
Rep Bishop asserts: “I’m not leaving” during his nomination speech for Mr Donalds following earlier reporting via Fox News indicating he would if Mr McCarthy was elected that has since been corrected.
Voting underway and McCarthy is again likely denied speakership
With six votes for Donalds, McCarthy is unlikely to win the speakership on this vote.
Donalds doesn’t answer call to vote, was meeting with McCarthy ally
Both Byron Donalds and Kevin McCarthy’s lieutenant Tom Emmer did not answer the call to vote and are reportedly and were in Rep Emmer’s office.
Gaetz flips vote to Trump
Florida Rep Matt Gaetz changed his vote from Byron Donalds to “Donald John Trump” causing much excitement on the floor of the House.
Mr Gaetz is seated with Georgia Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene and not with the remainder of the 20 “never Kevins” who are seated at the back of the chamber.
Here’s the moment:
So far no one else has joined Matt Gaetz in voting for Donald Trump.
Disquiet among holdouts about negotiation leaks
NBC News’s Ali Vitali reports that “Never Kevin” holdout Rep Scott Perry is upset about how concessions and details from overnight negotiations were leaked to the press.
He says “confidences betrayed do not inspire trust”.
Gaetz votes Trump for speaker
Republican Representative Matt Gaetz cast his vote for former president Donald Trump in the seventh attempt for the House of Representatives to nominate a speaker in an attempt to thwart Kevin McCarthy.
Eric Garcia reports from Capitol Hill.
Matt Gaetz votes for Donald Trump for speaker
Republican Representative Matt Gaetz cast his vote for former president Donald Trump in the seventh attempt for the House of Representatives to nominate a speaker in an attempt to thwart Kevin McCarthy.
McCarthy fails for seventh time
Kevin McCarthy has once again made history by losing his fifth, sixth and seventh consecutive votes for speaker of the House.
The latest defeats occurred Thursday afternoon after Mr McCarthy offered hardline Republicans even more concessions in an effort to secure the speaker’s gavel. Rep Matt Gaetz of Florida switched up his vote to nominate former President Donald Trump as speaker.
On Wednesday, Republican rebels seeking to block Mr McCarthy from becoming speaker rallied behind Rep Byron Donalds, a Florida Republican who has only been in the House of Representatives since 2021.
John Bowden and Eric Garcia have the latest from Capitol Hill.
McCarthy fails again as House GOP’s speaker chaos drags on for third day
No party in control of the House has failed to elect a speaker on first vote in 100 years
Perry: 'A deal is NOT done’
In a scene worthy of Veep, Never Kevin rep Scott Perry was giving an interview to Fox News as the House clerks called his name shortly before voting was closed.
As other lawmakers called him to vote, he told the network that concessions granted by Kevin McCarthy were not enough to lead to a deal.
“There is no agreement whatsoever, and it’s disappointing that confidences are betrayed about the details of internal meetings… There is a trust issue with the gentleman who wants to be Speaker.”
He also tweeted: “A deal is NOT done. When confidences are betrayed and leaks are directed, it’s even more difficult to trust. Totally unsat. I will not yield to the status quo.”
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