Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has issued a stern warning about the potential for chaos within the GOP House conference following the election of a new Speaker, as reported by The Hill.
What Happened: Gingrich, in a recent “Fox News Sunday” interview, suggested the House GOP conference could find itself back in turmoil mere weeks after electing a new Speaker. This insight follows an unprecedented vote three weeks ago where eight Republicans allied with Democrats to remove former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), marking the first time a Speaker has been ousted while in office.
Gingrich advised House Republicans to stay in the conference until a Speaker-designate has the 217 votes needed to claim the gavel. He stressed that these votes should be committed to unity for the coming months, not just for the election of a Speaker.
Criticizing the eight Republicans who voted against McCarthy, Gingrich said their actions “unleashed furies” within the GOP conference. He also called for the expulsion of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who spearheaded the movement to oust McCarthy.
After failing to secure the necessary 217 votes for the Speaker nomination in three rounds of voting last week, Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) lost the support of the House GOP conference. With a candidate forum slated for Monday evening and an internal nomination election scheduled for Tuesday morning, presently, nine Republicans are vying for the Speakership.
Why It Matters: Gingrich’s words of caution echo his previous concerns. In a Benzinga report published in October 2023, Gingrich expressed uncertainty about the upcoming speaker vote in the House, predicting unfavorable results for then-candidate Rep. Jordan.
His statement, “If that happens, we can’t sit around and suck our thumbs and hope the world will wait until the House Republicans get their act together,” underscores the urgency of his warning about the potential for chaos in the GOP conference.
Photo Courtesy: Christopher Halloran On Shutterstock.com
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