Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) said he foresees former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) leaving Congress by the end of the year after his historic ousting in October and the removal of another member last week.
“With Santos gone, you’re hearing it here first: the next GOP member to leave Congress will be @SpeakerMcCarthy. No way he stays,” Swalwell said Saturday on X, formerly known as Twitter.
With Santos gone, you’re hearing it here first: the next GOP member to leave Congress will be @SpeakerMcCarthy. No way he stays. A guy who kidney punches his colleagues from behind is too afraid to serve out a full term with them. I bet he’s gone by end of year. What say you?
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) December 2, 2023
On Friday, the House voted 311-114 to expel Rep. George Santos (R-NY) weeks after a report from the House Committee on Ethics said he committed "fraud" and other misconduct. The rare move has not been enacted in over two decades, making Santos the sixth lawmaker ever kicked out of Congress, and he was immediately stripped of his House position. In a similar historic fashion, McCarthy was ousted as speaker by his fellow Republicans earlier this fall, marking the first time in history that the House removed its leader.
“A guy who kidney punches his colleagues from behind is too afraid to serve out a full term with them. I bet he’s gone by end of year. What say you?” Swalwell added.
McCarthy most recently said he has not decided on a reelection bid in 2024.
"I got the holidays. I'll talk to my family,” McCarthy said in an interview with CNN's Manu Raju in November. “And then I'll make a decision.”
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Days after the House voted to remove him from the top post, McCarthy told reporters that he is not resigning from his seat and that he plans to run for reelection in 2024.
"I am not resigning. I got a lot more work to do," McCarthy said on Oct. 6. "We're going to keep the majority. I'm going to help the people I got here, and we're going to expand it further.”