(CMR) US Speaker Kevin McCarthy was voted out of the job Tuesday in an extraordinary showdown, a first in US history as no House speaker has ever before been ousted through the passage of a resolution to remove them.
The removal of McCarthy threatened to plunge House Republicans even further into chaos and turmoil, with the House will now need to elect a new speaker. In the meantime, Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina is the interim speaker.
According to AP, McCarthy’s chief rival, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, forced the vote on the “motion to vacate,” drawing together more than a handful of conservative Republican critics of the speaker and many Democrats who say he is unworthy of leadership.
Stillness fell as the presiding officer gaveled the vote closed, 216-210, saying the office of the speaker “is hereby declared vacant.”
The House then briskly recessed so lawmakers could meet and discuss the path forward.
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