Unrest swells among McCarthy’s backers

By Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels and Ryan Lizza

With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross

Rep. Kevin McCarthy is seen on the House floor during the third day of the House speakership election on Thursday, Jan. 5. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

Around Christmas, Texas Republican Rep. ROGER WILLIAMS’ wife suffered a medical emergency. This week, as she underwent treatment, her husband was eager to be by her side.

Instead, he has been stuck in Washington taking failed vote after failed vote in KEVIN McCARTHY’s quest to become speaker.

“This is killing him,” one of Williams’ GOP lawmaker friends told us late Thursday night. “I’ve never seen Roger as down as he was yesterday.”

Williams isn’t alone. On Thursday, Rep. KEN BUCK (R-Colo.) felt ill; his colleagues had to convince him it was OK to duck out of the speakership drama and go home for rest. Rep.-elect WESLEY HUNT (R-Texas) is eager to return to Texas after his wife gave birth this week. Rep. KEVIN HERN’s (R-Okla.) mother died this week; he wants to attend her funeral on Saturday.

“There’s a lot more at stake than whether Kevin McCarthy’s going to be able to get the gavel,” the aforementioned GOP lawmaker told us. “We’ve got lives that are being impacted right now, and this is tough for people.”

There’s been wall-to-wall coverage of the 20 anti-McCarthy rebels . But as the GOP leader faces down what will likely be his 12th failed bid for the gavel today, the story is about to shift to McCarthy’s increasingly tenuous support network.

Now, days into this protracted speakership standoff, with little to show for the mountain of concessions McCarthy has given conservatives, some of those supporting his bid are privately getting frustrated — and think he might need to consider calling it quits.

Yesterday, as McCarthy continued to try to land a deal with his critics, we spoke to a bunch of Republicans on background in the Capitol. We consistently heard four main issues fueling the growing frustration among McCarthy’s supporters:

1. Changes to rules and policy: Some members are privately angry that McCarthy is empowering hard-liners with rules changes to the point that they worry it will be difficult, if not impossible, to govern. There’s also concern about policy commitments he’s considering for the far right, including a vote on steep budget cuts that defense hawks will never swallow.

2. Committee deal-sweeteners: Many Republicans are fed up with his apparent willingness to hand plum committee posts to his detractors — especially, talk of possibly awarding them gavels. Some senior members have “forcefully” warned McCarthy not to go there, as our colleague Sarah Ferris scooped on Thursday evening. In fact, late last night, we heard a group of Appropriations cardinals huddled in a room off the House floor with panel Chair KAY GRANGER (R-Texas), pressing her about whether McCarthy would truly allow someone like Rep. ANDY HARRIS (R-Md.) to lead the Labor-HHS subcommittee.

“That’s not going to happen,” Granger assured them, arguing that Harris, a McCarthy foe, would need to earn his way up the ladder, just as they all had. We’re told McCarthy’s staff later assured some of these folks that he won’t be handing out gavels to his detractors. But whether that’s enough to hold his coalition intact for much longer is yet to be determined.

3. The lack of a clear path to victory: A third group just wants to know whether there is still a path for McCarthy to succeed, because after three long days, hours of negotiations and round after round of failed votes, they don’t see it.

4. The human factor: Some, like the members mentioned above, are facing personal and familial struggles as they’re trapped in Washington indefinitely since McCarthy needs every last one of their votes due to the GOP’s narrow majority.

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Reps. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) and Steve Womack (R-Ark.) sit during the 11th ballot for speaker in the House chamber on Thursday, Jan. 5. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo

TODAY: A PUSH FOR CLARITY — On Thursday, Rep. ANN WAGNER, a Missouri Republican known for her candor, told McCarthy he owes his members an explanation about what’s going on, voicing frustrations many are feeling. We caught up with her late last night just off the House floor, and she told us that she presented the GOP leader with the names of more than 80 Republicans who agreed with her and demanded a conference meeting.

McCarthy only partially relented: He agreed to host a conference call this morning, on which he’ll walk through the state-of-play on his negotiations with his detractors.

“That’s a bit cowardly, if you ask me,” Wagner said of his decision to do a call instead of facing his conference face-to-face. “We are all human beings,” she continued, arguing that keeping members in Washington day after day without showing progress is not sustainable.

Meanwhile, senior Republicans are increasingly whispering that if McCarthy can’t wrap this up soon, he needs to step aside and let someone else try. (On Thursday, we spoke to one top Republican backing him who is thinking of confronting McCarthy himself on this topic.)

Adding to the exasperation is that McCarthy’s latest concessions to conservatives that we reported on Thursday morning have not yet yielded McCarthy any new support. Negotiations continue, and even if a deal is finalized today, the subsequent vote will be a make-or-break moment.

“He needs to move several people from the ‘no’ column so he can keep the temperature down with the members who are becoming, as you well know, very impatient,” one lawmaker said. “There is a limit to how much of this crap we can take.”

A number of McCarthy backers now think he is prolonging the inevitable: another failed speakership bid. Even if he flips a dozen or so holdouts, they worry, there seems to be a large enough bloc of members who will never back him. “This is no more about process or about substance; for some of them, it’s about, ‘We want Kevin McCarthy’s scalp,’” the above lawmaker told us.

For his part, McCarthy has put on a positive face . As he left the floor Thursday night, he told reporters that he was making progress and wasn’t tied to any particular timeline.

But that may no longer be his call. His members may put him on one, whether he likes it or not.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — End Citizens United, a Democratic PAC, is requesting the Office of Congressional Ethics investigate McCarthy and allies over the deal cut earlier this week between the Club for Growth and McCarthy-aligned Congressional Leadership Fund meant to advance McCarthy’s speaker bid. (In exchange for the Club for Growth standing down in its opposition to McCarthy, CLF will stay out of open House primaries for safe Republican seats.)

End Citizens United is accusing McCarthy of “negotiating political spending in federal races, including drafting amendments to reflect their agreement, using the official resources of the House” in order to secure votes for his speakership. Citing reporting on the deal, the group alleges that the accord likely would have required McCarthy’s signoff in order to go forward. “McCarthy’s actions reflect poorly on the credibility of the House and undermines the public’s trust in its ability to govern,” End Citizens United President TIFFANY MULLER writes. Read the full letter

Related reads:

— Kevin can wait: “How much time has the House spent failing to elect a speaker? 17 hours and 55 minutes,” by NBC’s Zoë Richards and Julia Jester

— Giving away the store: John Harris’ latest Altitude column: “McCarthy Destroys His Speakership In Order to Save It”

— Like manna from Kevin: “Dems bask in the speaker schadenfreude,” by Nicholas Wu and Sarah Ferris

Happy Friday, and thanks for reading Playbook. How many rounds of voting will it take before a new speaker is elected? Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza.

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THE PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW: JOHN FLEMING — This week on Playbook Deep Dive, we talk to the former Louisiana congressman and co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus to help understand the roots of the current crisis facing McCarthy. How did a group that was created to push policy to the right become the architect of shutdown politics, the vanguard of Trumpism, and the bane of House GOP leaders? Is there anything that could satisfy the diehards opposing McCarthy? And who might they rally around if McCarthy goes down? To help answer these questions, Fleming, who is now a lobbyist, sat down with us in his Alexandria office and unspooled this unauthorized history of the HFC. Listen here, and be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

TWO YEARS LATER — At a ceremony today commemorating the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol, President JOE BIDEN will “put center stage the danger and chaos posed by election deniers,” Jonathan Lemire and Eli Stokols write in a preview of the president’s remarks. “He will link Republicans to the extremists who attempted to forcibly overturn the results of DONALD TRUMP’s defeat.” Also on the docket: He will award the Presidential Citizens Medal “to 12 individuals who ‘demonstrated courage and selflessness’ in the events surrounding” the attack, per Kelly Hooper.

— “Enablers, line-straddlers and quiet resistors: How GOP lawmakers contributed to Jan. 6,” by Kyle Cheney and Nicholas Wu

— “Corporations gave $10M to election objectors after pledging to cut them off,” by Jessica Piper and Zach Montellaro

— “Prison or mercy? A Jan. 6 rioter weighs his sins and confronts his fate,” by WaPo’s Greg Jaffe

— “Trump Sued by Estate of Capitol Police Officer Who Died After Jan. 6 Attack,” by WSJ’s Vivian Salama and C. Ryan Barber

— Top-ed: Former D.C. police officer MICHAEL FANONE for CNN:“The terrible outcome that looks likely if the fringe runs Congress”

— In case you forgot: “Two years after Jan. 6, an attempted bomber remains at large,” by WaPo’s editorial board

— “Did a Backlash Against Trump’s Lafayette Square Antics Weaken the Federal Response on Jan. 6?” by Michael Schaffer

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

A man crouches as a wave crashes into the seawall in Pacifica, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 5. | Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo

ALL POLITICS

EXPLOSIVE ALLEGATIONS — “Herschel Walker Staffer: Matt Schlapp ‘Groped’ My Crotch,” by The Daily Beast’s Roger Sollenberger: “The staffer said the incident occurred the night of Oct. 19, when [MATT] SCHLAPP, chair of the American Conservative Union and lead organizer for the influential Conservative Political Action Conference, ‘groped’ and ‘fondled’ his crotch in his car against his will after buying him drinks at two different bars.

“The staffer described Schlapp, who had traveled to Georgia for a [HERSCHEL] WALKER campaign event, as inappropriately and repeatedly intruding into his personal space at the bars. He said he was also keenly aware of his ‘power dynamic’ with Schlapp, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in national conservative politics. …

“In a statement to The Daily Beast, Schlapp attorney CHARLIE SPIES called the allegations an 'attack' and said Schlapp 'denies any improper behavior.'”

SAY YES TO MICHIGAN — “Within hours of Debbie Stabenow announcing her retirement, Dems are scrambling to replace her,” by Elena Schneider, Adam Wren and Heidi Przybyla: “At least two prominent Democrats — Reps. ELISSA SLOTKIN and DEBBIE DINGELL — are seriously considering a run, according to people familiar with their thinking. But several other House members could also take a look at it, including Reps. DAN KILDEE and HALEY STEVENS, according to several Michigan Democrats.” (Kildee said late Thursday he would not run.)

PRIMARY COLORS — The DNC is granting extensions to New Hampshire and Georgia, according to an emailed memo, giving the states more time “to work with stakeholders” and figure out how to comply with the DNC’s requirements to stay in the early nominating window, our colleague Elena Schneider reports. Read more on the state of play from Elena

TALKER — “Why the Godfather of Human Rights Is Not Welcome at Harvard,” by The Nation’s Michael Massing: “KEN ROTH, who ran Human Rights Watch for 29 years, was denied a fellowship at the Kennedy School for having the temerity to criticize Israel.”

2024 INTRIGUE — “Kristi Noem Spokesman Unloads on Ron DeSantis,” by the National Review’s Nate Hochman

THE WHITE HOUSE

President Joe Biden signs a condolence book at the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 5, for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. | Patrick Semansky/AP Photo

Read more: “Biden visits Vatican embassy to pay respects to Benedict XVI,” by AP’s Zeke Miller

MORE BILLS SIGNED — “Biden signs bill to ease costs for prisoner calls to family,” by AP’s Colleen Long

HEADS UP — “Mexico nabs son of drug lord ‘El Chapo’ before Biden visit,” by AP’s María Verza and Christopher Sherman

CONGRESS

KNOWING MADAM CLERK — “Meet Cheryl Johnson, the Woman Directing Congress Through Historic Chaos,” by Bloomberg’s Ryan Teague Beckwith and Zach Cohen: “Deploying only her own custom gavel and gently chiding words, [CHERYL] JOHNSON has guided the House through multiple rounds of voting on live TV, pushing back when members of both parties get off topic or step out of line. Her calm but stern demeanor has earned high marks on Capitol Hill and social media, where a number of people, including a member of Congress, have joked that lawmakers should just elect her speaker.”

C-SPAN UNLEASHED — “With the House in chaos, C-SPAN shows footage Americans don’t usually see,” by WaPo’s Camila DeChalus: “The typical live stream from the U.S. House is focused on the dais and the desks from which members of each party address the chamber. But this week brought an unusual amount of drama as the American public watched lawmakers struggle to select a new speaker.”

2024 WATCH — Our colleague Ally Mutnick takes a look at one of the more subtle but interesting dynamics playing out in the House speaker battle, as Republicans within state delegations split over their support for McCarthy and what that division could mean for contentious Senate jockeying in 2024. The sparring delegations include Montana Reps. MATT ROSENDALE (an anti-McCarthy plotter) and RYAN ZINKE, and Indiana Reps. JIM BANKS (a McCarthy ally) and VICTORIA SPARTZ (who has voted “present” in recent ballots).

TRUMP CARDS

DOCUMENT DRAMA — “Judge Rules for Justice Dept. in Dispute With Trump Over Documents Search,” by NYT’s Alan Feuer: “A federal judge has ordered lawyers for former President Donald J. Trump to give the government the names of the private investigators who searched Mr. Trump’s properties late last year for any remaining classified documents, part of what appeared to be a step by the Justice Department toward questioning the investigators about their efforts, two people familiar with the matter said.”

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WAR IN UKRAINE

CEASEFIRE SKEPTICISM — “Kyiv dismisses Putin’s call for 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine as ‘hypocrisy,’” by CNN’s Anna Chernova, Sebastian Shukla, Yulia Kesaieva and Tara John

AMERICA AND THE WORLD

REACHING FOR A RESPONSE — “Biden aides struggle to respond to Taliban’s latest curbs on women,” by Nahal Toosi: “The Biden administration is grappling with how to respond to new Taliban restrictions on women’s rights in Afghanistan, knowing that punishing the ruling Islamists risks rupturing the limited relationship the United States has with them.”

TALKING TURKEY… ERR, TURKIYE — “U.S. changes to Turkey’s preferred spelling at ally’s request,” by AP’s Matthew Lee

THE ECONOMY

SILVER LININGS POCKETBOOK — “Defying the odds: Jobs, inflation news spark hope U.S. may skirt a 2023 slump,” by Victoria Guida

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

ABORTION ACTION — “SC Supreme Court tosses out 6-week abortion ban, leaving it legal through 22 weeks,” by the Post and Courier’s Seanna Adcox

THIS IS CONCERNING — “Great Salt Lake set to vanish in 5 years, experts warn Utah lawmakers,” by the Salt Lake Tribune’s Leia Larsen

STORMS CRUSH CALIFORNIA — “California on alert for floods and mudslides as powerful storms hit state with heavy rain, wind,” by Wes Venteicher

MEDIAWATCH 

SUNDAY NIGHTS JUST AREN’T THE SAME — “What Happened To The New York Times’ Media Column?” by Vanity Fair’s Charlotte Klein: “It’s surprising for such a high-profile perch — one that [BEN] SMITH made a weekly destination for media junkies not seen since the DAVID CARR era — to be dormant for this long. A Times insider last year told me that Smith’s departure presented an opportunity ‘for rethinking the focus’ of its signature column. And yet, one person who talked to the Times for the gig told me they got the impression that the Times was still trying to figure out what they were doing with the column — and looking for a columnist to come to them with a clear vision for it.” Among the names Klein reports who were previously in discussion: WaPo’s SARAH ELLISON, former CNN anchor BRIAN STELTER and Puck’s DYLAN BYERS.

SUNDAY SO FAR …

FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). Panel: Jason Chaffetz, Janice Dean, Josh Kraushaar and John Delaney.

NBC “Meet the Press”: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Panel: Rachael Bade, Carlos Curbelo, Symone Sanders-Townsend and Jake Sherman.

ABC “This Week”: DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas … Harry Dunn. Panel: Chris Christie, Donna Brazile, Maggie Haberman and Susan Page.

MSNBC “The Sunday Show”: Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) … Rep.-elect Becca Balint (D-Vt.) … Harry Dunn … Virginia state Sen. Jennifer McClellan.

POLITICO AT CES 2023 : We are bringing a special edition of our Digital Future Daily newsletter to Las Vegas to cover CES 2023. The newsletter will take you inside the largest and most influential technology event on the planet, featuring every major and emerging industry in the technology ecosystem gathered in one place. The newsletter runs from Jan. 5-7 and will focus on the public policy related aspects of the event. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of CES 2023.

Jair Bolsonaro is really embracing being a Florida Man.

Ketanji Brown Jackson is writing a memoir titled “Lovely One.”

Bob Good had a “Jeb!” moment.

French Hill referred to House Dems as “the popcorn caucus.”

Jimmy Gomez’s infant son and Joaquin Castro’s daughter had a meet-cute in the cloakroom.

IN MEMORIAM — Sean O’Shea, a partner at Alexander, Borovicka & O’Shea Government Solutions, died of complications from brain cancer Tuesday at 46. He was also a Clinton administration and Hillary Clinton alum. Full obituary

MEDIA MOVES — David Drucker is joining The Dispatch as a reporter and contributor to their yet-to-launch political newsletter. He previously was a senior correspondent at the Washington Examiner. The announcement… Indira Lakshmanan is joining the AP as global enterprise editor. She previously was senior executive editor and VP for news and features at National Geographic Media. The announcement … Elías López is joining CBS as a senior editor. He previously was senior editor for global opinions at WaPo.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) has added Krysta Juris as deputy chief of staff, Joe Calvello as comms director, Maya Ashwal as administrative director and Kathi Caber as constituent services director.

— C. Dixon Osburn is now U.S. executive director of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. He recently authored “Mission Possible: The Story of Repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’” and was previously a fellow at the Harvard Carr Center for Human Rights Policy.

—Dentons Global Advisors-Albright Stonebridge Group is adding Liz Tate as VP in the U.S. practice (previously at Clarios and Johnson Controls), Julie Reed as senior adviser with the health practice (currently at the U.S. Biosimilars Forum) and Luz Blancas Sevak as VP in the global innovation and growth group.

— Maru Opabola is now director of allies at the Forward Party. She most recently was a public defense attorney in Orlando, Fla.

— Clyde Wayne Crews is now the inaugural Fred L. Smith Jr. fellow in regulatory studies at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. He’s a longtime regulation policy expert and author of the annual report “Ten Thousand Commandments: An Annual Snapshot of the Federal Regulatory State.”

TRANSITIONS — Jeremy Adler is joining Upland Workshop as an SVP to help start the firm’s New York operations. He previously was comms director and senior adviser for former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.). … Colton Snedecor is now press secretary for Rep.-elect Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.). He previously was media affairs producer at the RNC. … Gil Thompson is now senior foreign policy adviser for Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.). He previously was a legislative assistant for Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.). …

… Hannah Nine is now press secretary for Rep.-elect Russell Fry (R-S.C.). She most recently was comms director for his campaign. … Andrew Miller is now deputy assistant secretary of State for Israeli-Palestinian affairs. He most recently was senior policy adviser at the U.S. Mission to the U.N. … Charlie Andrews is now press secretary for the Commerce Department. He most recently was deputy states comms director at the DNC, and is a Patty Murray alum.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — David Lieberman, director of U.S. government relations at Bentley Systems, and Megan Lieberman, client director at Gartner Inc., recently welcomed Ella Maye Lieberman.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Olivia Nuzzi … Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) … WSJ’s Kate O’Keeffe and James Taranto … MSNBC’s Shaquille Brewster … Tricia Russell … Terri Fariello of United Airlines … Kimball Stroud … POLITICO’s Kaitlyn Locke, Christa Marshall and Kelsey Hayes … Eric Trump … Stuart Siciliano of Hamilton Place Strategies … Kate Randle … Kathleen Gayle … Joe Hagin … former FBI Director Louis Freeh … former FEMA Director James Lee Witt … Matt Ford … Abby Gunderson-Schwarz … Mandy Bowers … David Polyansky of Clout Public Affairs … Air & Space Forces Magazine’s Chris Gordon … Oregon AG Ellen Rosenblum

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