A reminder to us all: think before you speak.
Pictured above: Ex-Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, rubbing eyebrow. Image credits: J. Scott Applewhite/AP
As of October 3, 2023, former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has been removed from his position by a vote of 216 to 210. Every one of the 208 Democratic representatives in the House voted for his removal from office, as well as 8 Republicans. These Republicans were Andy Biggs (Arizona), Ken Buck (Colorado), Tim Burchett (Tennessee), Eli Crane (Arizona), Bob Good (Virginia), Nancy Mace (South Carolina), Matt Rosendale (Montana), and Matt Gaetz (Florida). In the history of the United States of America, not one Speaker has been removed from office until now. This is the second time there has been conflict this year in the upper levels of government, the first being former President Donald Trump being the first U.S. President to be charged criminally.
McCarthy had climbed his way up the ranks of politics, going from a member of the California State Assembly in 2002 to Speaker of the House in January of 2023. Throughout those two decades, McCarthy was involved in many scandals. For instance, he suggested impeaching President Biden after saying that no one should suggest such a thing just a few days before. Many times, audio recordings of McCarthy saying preposterous things are leaked, which he subsequently denies. The second-largest of these scandals was when he joined the 138 other Republicans in the House in voting for the overturning of the election results in 2020, one of the very things that had former President Trump impeached. Overall, McCarthy has had an extremely bumpy career, as he ignores the teachings of his elementary school teachers by never thinking before he speaks.