Give Us A Break: McCarthy Now Wants Congress To ‘Call On Our Better Angels’

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 25: U.S. House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks during his weekly news conference June 25, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. McCarthy discuss various topics including the... WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 25: U.S. House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) speaks during his weekly news conference June 25, 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. McCarthy discuss various topics including the police reform bill. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is readying himself to seize the title as the nation’s great unifier — never mind his robust record of trying to undermine the democratic process.

McCarthy announced on Friday that he had plans to chat with President-elect Joe Biden on how to unite the country days after McCarthy supported an effort to overturn the presidential election that culminated in a deadly insurrection on Wednesday.

“I have reached out to President-elect Biden today and plan to speak to him about how we much work together to lower the temperature and unit the country,” McCarthy wrote, adding that he opposes calls from Democratic colleagues pushing for Trump’s impeachment in the aftermath of the Capitol siege.

“As leaders we must call on our better angels,” McCarthy said, demanding an end to division.

The congressman’s hollow meditation on unity comes after McCarthy stoked the flame around false election fraud claims that eventually became fodder for a deadly insurrection by Trump’s supporters on the U.S. Capitol this week.

“When I spoke to President Trump on Wednesday, I told him he had a great responsibility to intervene to quell the mob and start the healing process for our country,” McCarthy said, pointing the finger squarely at Trump and sharing none of the responsibility for inciting a violent raid that left five people dead after the President’s supporters laid siege on the U.S. Capitol earlier this week.

McCarthy’s statement calling for healing wafted with a kind of amnesia. He refused to acknowledge his own role in perpetuating deception about the election, which helped instigate Wednesday’s violent mob.

Last month, McCarthy was one of more than 100 lawmakers who signed onto a failed Texas lawsuit that sought to allow GOP-controlled legislatures in several swing states to discard the will of voters in their states and instead toss their Electoral College votes to President Trump.

Even after states had cast their Electoral College votes, McCarthy notably refused an opportunity to put to rest questions about the legitimacy of Biden’s victory by ignoring reporters questions about whether or not he would follow the lead of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and formally refer to Biden as the nation’s next president. McCarthy also voted to object to affirming the Electoral College votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania.

Latest News
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: