House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is pleading with former President Donald Trump not to take revenge on Republicans who have crossed him.
Politico Playbook reported Friday that McCarthy has specifically asked Trump not to go after the 10 House Republicans who voted in favor of his second impeachment in January.
Trump called them all out by name during his Sunday appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference, telling the audience, ‘Get rid of them all!’
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has been pleading with former President Donald Trump, asking him not to go after the 10 House Republicans who voted in favor of his January impeachment
Former President Donald Trump (left) is photographed with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (right) when the two Republicans met in late January. Politico Playbook reported Friday that McCarthy is trying to convince Trump not to engage in a GOP civil war
The ex-president’s threat will likely lead to a series of MAGA-versus-moderate GOP primaries, and could cost McCarthy the chance to retake the House, which historically is in his grasp.
On Thursday Trump signaled that he’s going to go forward with the so-called GOP civil war, as he issued another statement from Mar-a-Lago blasting Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Trump accused McConnell of blowing two elections in Georgia that cost Republicans the Senate majority.
The two incumbent Republican candidates, Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, lost their run-off races on January 5 as Trump was attacking Georgia’s state election officials and sending out a confused message to potential GOP voters on whether their votes would actually count.
Many GOP strategists blamed the losses on Trump’s refusal to concede the presidential election.
McConnell had given Trump breathing room to air out his election grievances in the run-up to the run-offs, as he pushed the then-president to campaign for Perdue and Loeffler.
Trump campaigned with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler the day before her loss. He blamed McConnell, but not his own role contesting election results
McConnell denounced Trump and said he ‘provoked’ the riot in a speech after he voted to acquit Trump in inciting insurrection
But on January 6, even before the Capitol riot, McConnell said on the floor the 2020 presidential election was over.
After the attack, McConnell denounced Trump.
Later, after Trump was acquitted on impeachment charges, the GOP Senate leader delivered a blistering speech where he said Trump ‘provoked’ the insurrection.
In his statement, Trump slammed McConnell for yielding to his caucus and supporting $600 checks for Americans, rather than the $2,000 Trump backed late in negotiations of the December COVID stimulus bill – and ripped a Senate GOP group for its Georgia effort.
‘Even more stupidly, the National Republican Senatorial Committee spent millions of dollars on ineffective TV ads starring Mitch McConnell, the most unpopular politician in the country, who only won in Kentucky because President Trump endorsed him. He would have lost badly without this endorsement,’ Trump claimed.
At CPAC, Trump also went after McConnell – and every senator to vote for his conviction.
On Sunday, former President Donald Trump went after, by name, every Republican who was pro-impeachment during his appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida
‘The Democrats don’t have grandstanders like Mitt Romney, Little Ben Sasse, Richard Burr, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Pat Toomey. And in the House, Tom Rice, South Carolina, Adam Kinzinger, Dan Newhouse, Anthony Gonzalez, that’s another beauty. Fred Upton, Jaime Herrera Beutler, Peter Meijer, John Katko, David Valadao and of course, the warmonger, the person that loves seeing our troops fighting, Liz Cheney. How about that?’ Trump said.
The ex-president floated that the only reason why McConnell still had a job was because of the Trump endorsement.
‘My endorsement of Mitch McConnll, at his request … brought him from one point down to 20 points up and he won his race,’ Trump said.
Prior to McCarthy getting involved, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, a top Trump ally, warned of the risks of a civil war in the party, and like McCarthy, flew to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump.
‘Mitch McConnell working with Donald Trump did a hell of a job. They are now at each other’s throat. I’m more worried about 2022 than I’ve ever been. I don’t want to eat our own,’ Graham cautioned.
Politico’s Playbook also reported that Trump is cracking down on which Republicans can use his name as they vie for re-election.
Trump’s team has told Republican candidates and committees that they need explicit approval before using Trump in their branding.
The ex-president has famously made millions on the Trump name.