The headline in Politico Playbook says it all: "Is Kevin McCarthy toast?" The reference is to the revelation made by the New York Times that McCarthy told fellow House GOP leaders he planned to call then-President Trump and recommend he resign in the aftermath of the Capitol riot. It's bad news for McCarthy because if Trump breaks with him now because of the story, it could doom the House minority leader's chance of becoming House speaker. However, the Washington Post reports that Trump and McCarthy have, in fact, spoken since the Times story broke on Thursday, and it appears all is well between them, at least for now. The key excerpt:
- "Trump was not upset about McCarthy’s remarks and was glad the Republican leader didn’t follow through, which Trump saw as a sign of his continued grip on the Republican Party, according to the two people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation," per the Post.
Still, Trump has not made a public statement on the matter, and McCarthy's fate may well hinge on that. CNN, meanwhile, has more details from Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns. They say McCarthy told House members in a conference call soon after Jan. 6, 2021, that Trump admitted to bearing some responsibility for the Capitol riot. "Let me be very clear to you and I have been very clear to the President. He bears responsibility for his words and actions," McCarthy is quoted as saying. "I asked him personally today, does he hold responsibility for what happened? Does he feel bad about what happened? He told me he does have some responsibility for what happened. And he needs to acknowledge that." (More Kevin McCarthy stories.)
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