McCarthy's Ouster Looms Despite Biden Impeachment Bid

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is set to confront a fractured caucus on Wednesday, with his position as the top Republican in Congress under threat from the far right, despite having initiated the impeachment inquiry they demanded, as reported by David Morgan and Makini Brice for Reuters.

McCarthy yielded to weeks of pressure from hardliners and allies of former President Donald Trump by launching a formal probe into Democratic President Joe Biden. I Photo: Matt Johnson / Right Cheer Flickr

McCarthy yielded to weeks of pressure from hardliners and allies of former President Donald Trump by launching a formal probe into Democratic President Joe Biden.

This move avoided a floor vote that might have been opposed by as many as 20 House of Representatives Republicans. Republican Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska centrist, commented, "We cannot use impeachment as a political weapon against every president," in a statement.

However, even after the announcement, hardliner Rep. Matt Gaetz once again raised the possibility of ousting McCarthy under the terms of a deal he had agreed to in order to become speaker, which granted any one member the power to call for a vote on his removal.

Gaetz stated that the speaker could face multiple votes on motions to "vacate the chair" for failing to adhere to a secret agreement that allowed him to assume the role of speaker in January.

In a floor speech directly addressing McCarthy, Gaetz said, "The path forward for the House of Representatives is either to bring you into immediate, total compliance or to remove you."

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