Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California is facing criticism from his right flank after he attended the first state dinner hosted by the Biden administration on Thursday night. This raises concerns about his ability to secure enough support to succeed Speaker of the House Paul Ryan when the GOP authoritatively takes control of the chamber at the beginning of next year.
Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, Stephen Colbert, Kurt Russell, John Legend, and Hunter Biden, whose business connections House Republicans have said they intend to probe, were also attendees.
The luncheon was conducted only a few hours after Presidents Biden and Macron reiterated their support for Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia in a press conference, which Republicans have criticized Democrats for in recent days.
Some people saw McCarthy’s attendance at the dinner as poor form; the leader of the opposition party to the Democrats in Congress shouldn’t mingle with famous people and Biden allies at a fancy black-tie event. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, possibly the most prominent and outspoken Republican opponent of a McCarthy speakership, immediately criticized the Republican from California.
“Tonight Kevin McCarthy had dinner with Hunter Biden at a state dinner with Macron to rally support for more US aid to Ukraine,” Gaetz tweeted Thursday. “He should not be Speaker.”
McCarthy, too faced criticism from well-known conservative media figures. According to Greg Kelly, a Newsmax TV host, McCarthy’s attendance was an act of decadence unworthy of a person in McCarthy’s position.
“Why we HATE the swamp: Kevin McCarthy is in It for the STATUS and Perks. He should have been home last night preparing SUBPOENAS for Fauci and HUNTER,” he tweeted. “I’d rather go to a RED LOBSTER than be with RATS at the White House.”
Whether McCarthy’s detractors are correct (several Republican politicians were there at the meal), the action may jeopardize his future in politics. Five members of the House Republican Conference have, as of Friday afternoon, indicated that they would not support McCarthy for speaker, including Gaetz, Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman, Virginia Rep. Bob Good, and Montana Rep. Matt Rosendale.
McCarthy has a problem with that since he can only afford a few party members to vote against him when the chamber votes to elect the speaker later this year. Republicans are now expected to hold 222 seats by the time the results of the midterm elections are officially declared, and a politician needs 218 votes to become a speaker. McCarthy would not have been elected speaker if the five defecting legislators had joined the 213 Democratic lawmakers and supported a different candidate.
Given that highly conservative Republicans like Gaetz and Biggs are likely to oppose a Democratic alternative candidate, that scenario appears implausible. However, suppose the backlash against his attendance at Thursday’s state banquet gains traction. In that case, it might persuade members on the fence to join Gaetz, Biggs, and others in calling for an alternative candidate.
