McCarthy ousted as US House speaker by his Republican Party

Kevin McCarthy was axed Tuesday as speaker of the US House of Representatives in a brutal rebellion by the far-right of the Republican Party furious at his cooperation with the Democrats.

In a stunning turn of events, the recent manoeuvre has exposed the disarray and infighting within the Republican Party as they gear up for the upcoming 2024 presidential election, with Donald Trump at the helm.

The first ouster of a speaker in the House’s 234-year history was supported by only a handful of right-wing Republican hardliners. However, the House is almost evenly divided and with Democrats joining the rebel Republicans, rather than riding to McCarthy’s rescue, he had no way to survive.

The 58-year-old Californian former entrepreneur had sparked fury among conservatives at the weekend when he passed a bipartisan stopgap funding measure backed by the White House to avert a government shutdown.

Florida conservative, Matt Gaetz, who forced the removal vote, gambled that he could oust McCarthy with just a few Republicans.

Democrats, too, had no love for McCarthy, pointing to his decision to renege on a deal with Biden on spending limits hammered out earlier this year in high-stakes talks over the federal budget.

AFP

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