The 20 Republicans who initially rebelled against Rep. Kevin McCarthy's election to Speaker of the House were praised by former President Donald Trump for standing strong for American First conservatism.
"I want to give credit to Matt Gaetz, and all of the people that we've got," Trump said during a private event at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday.
Trump also lauded South Carolina's Ralph Norman and all who initially objected to McCarthy's leadership. "They were just fed up," he said. "I mean they were fed up. And I think that they've done a tremendous service."
These 20 eventually worked with McCarthy, and each other, to secure considerations that allowed them to move forward to support McCarthy.
"We had a great success last night," Trump said of the vote for McCarthy. "And I really believe that four days of trauma has made the Republican Party a much stronger party."
McCarthy, who won the vote after a last minute call from Trump to some of the holdouts, said Trump had played a major role in getting him over the vote threshold.
"I do want to especially thank President Trump, and I don't think anybody should doubt his influence. He was with me from the beginning," McCarthy said.
On Friday night, Trump made calls to Reps. Gaetz of Florida and Andy Biggs of Arizona, both of whom had voted against McCarthy for days, and told them that the matter needed to be resolved. Ultimately on the 15th round, they both voted “present,” helping to lower the vote threshold for McCarthy.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia told Breitbart News on Friday that Trump’s role was huge in the negotiations: “His statements that he put out in support of Kevin McCarthy, it was like cement for our 201 that refused to move away from Kevin. It told many of them that, ‘Look, the support is there.’ Trump telling everyone in that statement that ‘I’m calling. I’m working the phones. I’m talking with everybody.’ That was support that was needed at a critical time when members could have fallen off.”
Rep. Andrew Ogles of Tennessee, who has yet to be sworn in, shared with The Epoch Times a list of some of the concessions the holdouts got out of McCarthy:
• As has been reported, it will only take a single congressperson, acting in what is known as a Jeffersonian Motion, to move to remove the Speaker if he or she goes back on their word or policy agenda.
• A “Church” style committee will be convened to look into the weaponization of the FBI and other government organizations (presumably the CIA, the subject of the original Church Committee) against the American people.
• Term limits will be put up for a vote.
• Bills presented to Congress will be single subject, not omnibus with all the attendant earmarks, and there will be a 72-hour minimum period to read them.
• The Texas Border Plan will be put before Congress. From The Hill: “The four-pronged plan aims to ‘Complete Physical Border Infrastructure,’ ‘Fix Border Enforcement Policies,’ ‘Enforce our Laws in the Interior’ and ‘Target Cartels & Criminal Organizations.' ”
• Covid mandates will be ended as will all funding for them, including so-called “emergency funding.”
• Budget bills would stop the endless increases in the debt ceiling and hold the Senate accountable for the same.
My statement on the historic victories House conservatives secured. pic.twitter.com/O8rG1VHk0X
— Rep. Lauren Boebert (@RepBoebert) January 7, 2023
"I actually put something out," Trump said, "that I believe the Republican Party, had it just gotten like normally, you know, where you go in, you have one shot, they approve somebody and that's the end of it— I believe the Republican Party is much stronger now and much more unified because of what took place," Trump said.
"A lot of very conservative things have happened," he added. "You watch what's going to take place. I think Kevin's going to do a terrific job. I think Kevin was really bolstered by the events that took place."
Free Press International
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