House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) threatened to introduce a motion on the floor to oust House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as speaker if she attempts to impeach President Trump for “following the constitution” to slow down the Supreme Court confirmation process to fill the vacancy for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“I will make you this one promise, listening to the Speaker on television this weekend, if she tries to move for an impeachment based upon the president following the Constitution, I think there will be a move on the floor to no longer have the question of her being Speaker. She may think she has a quiver — we do too,” McCarthy told reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday.
“The president is supposed to move forward and they will,” he added. “The Senate is supposed to take the action and they will — it’s their constitutional right and they are following through.”
House Freedom Caucus members have advocated for McCarthy to introduce a long-shot bid of “motion to vacate” to remove Pelosi from the speakership. McCarthy is the only GOP member who can offer a “motion to vacate the chair” and force a floor vote on whether Pelosi can retain the speaker’s gavel, according to House rules. The procedural move would require a majority of House members of 216 votes and Democrats hold 232 seats versus the 198 seats Republicans hold.
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) head of the House Freedom Caucus is spearheading the effort to remove Pelosi.
“Thanks to our efforts, House Republican leadership allowed us to bring this proposal for debate within our conference. I have spent many hours over the last few weeks, strategizing with my colleagues and talking to them about the necessity of taking this action,” Biggs said in a statement. “Most Republican Members of Congress wholeheartedly agree that Nancy Pelosi must be removed as Speaker of the House.”
I will not stop fighting to remove Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House. pic.twitter.com/XckFxBAn7k
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) September 23, 2020
On Sunday, Pelosi was asked about the possibility of impeaching Trump for the second time as a delay tactic, an option she didn’t decline to rule out if the White House and Senate Republicans move forward through the process of nominating a Supreme Court nominee before Election Day.
“We have our options. We have arrows in our quiver that I’m not about to discuss right now,” Pelosi told ABC’s “This Week” host George Stephanopolous. “We have a responsibility, we take an oath to protect and defend the constitution of the United States. We have a responsibility to meet the needs of the American people. When we weigh the equities of protecting our democracy, requires us to use every arrow in our quiver.”
Trump mocked the Speaker threat during a campaign rally in Ohio on Monday.
“Did you hear, today, the latest? They impeached me for a perfect phone call. Now they want to impeach me again if I nominate somebody as I’m constitutionally obligated to do to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States,” Trump said. “Go ahead. I want them — I want them to do that.”
“I am the only guy in the world that could get impeached if I try to fill a seat,” Trump added.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) promised to move forward with a vote to confirm the president’s nominee once he names his nominee before the election. Trump will announce his pick out of five women in consideration on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET.
CongressHouseHouse Freedom CaucusImpeachmentJustice Ruth Bader GinsburgMotion To VacatePresident TrumpRep. Andy BiggsRep. Kevin McCarthySenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellSpeaker Nancy PelosiSupreme Court
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