Steve Kamb and Boris Epstein join me in the War Room to discuss all the action from the House of Representatives as the race for the 2020 Republican presidential nomination comes to a dramatic conclusion. We have a shot of the House as the House votes on the final third of the primary candidates.
00:00:00.840Okay, welcome. You're in the war room. It's Tuesday, 3 January, in the year of our Lord, 2023.
00:00:06.660You're watching, you're seeing the floor of the House. They just finished the third ballot.
00:00:13.300And this historic day has not happened for over 100 years, or 100 years, where I think they went to nine ballots over, I think it was three days.
00:00:24.360We just finished the third ballot, and Kevin McCarthy lost another vote.
00:00:29.060Byron Donalds from Florida, who I think has been pretty strongly in McCarthy's camp, voted, came on, I think he just called into Larry Kudlow's show, said that he was on CNN earlier, saying, hey, you got to get somebody to get to 218 that can close the deal.
00:00:43.700I mean, this was a pretty, although one vote pretty big blow, because he made the case that Kevin McCarthy couldn't get to 218, and he flipped his vote.
00:00:51.940I think the preliminary is going to be Jeffries, 212, Kevin McCarthy, 202, and now 20 of the anti-anybody-but-McCarthy vote.
00:01:03.140And there's a lot of knives out and hostility people should know behind the scenes, a lot of arm twisting.
00:01:08.800We've got a cold open we're going to play.
00:01:11.020I really want to thank Real America's Voice for having this great shot of the House.
00:01:15.420Let me bring in Rudy Giuliani, and I'm going to get Boris Epstein, so as Boris is up, and we've got Lauren Boeber's going to call in.
00:01:22.520A lot of people, if we can get them on the phone, are going to take them as they come.
00:01:26.740Rudy, you've been around a long time, sir.
00:01:32.720We're already finished the third ballot, and we're no closer to getting something done than we were last night, sir.
00:01:39.080The longer it goes, obviously, for McCarthy, to win the nomination, and I have to analogize it a little bit to the old convention that you and I are aware of, you've got to keep growing on each ballot.
00:01:54.780So even though it's a slip of only one vote, he'd have been a lot better off if he had picked up two votes to start creating some momentum.
00:02:09.120The problem is, unless they're finding no opposition, but if McCarthy keeps losing votes, let's say the next one, he loses four or five.
00:02:22.120But that's when there'll be the discussion of opposition.
00:02:27.700Reminds me a little bit of the conclave, picking a poll.
00:24:45.000But, of course, I'd be much happier with the real thing.
00:24:47.420Rudy, one of the things they laid out today that's so important is the kind of discrepancy, although McCarthy has come and said we're going to have a joint committee on weaponization of government.
00:24:59.360Is there anybody better in your mind than going after the administrative state and the deep state than Jim Jordan?
00:26:02.400What you're watching is the – there are – we just finished round three of the ballots, the third ballot,
00:26:10.820and we're going to go to either a round four or they've got to put forward a motion to convene that will need 218 votes.
00:26:18.420If they convene, they're either going to go into conference tonight, which I assume they would,
00:26:22.140or they're going to go into conference early tomorrow morning like they did today.
00:26:25.620And I understand that that conference got very personal and nasty.
00:26:29.020You saw a little bit of it on the show with Congressman MTG going after Boebert and General Perry and, of course, Matt Gates.
00:26:39.980In fact, Congressman Boebert reached out to me after she saw the clip and wanted specifically to come on and to answer those – I don't know if they're even allegations, but what was said because she said she was just pushing the overall agenda for people.
00:27:56.720After I've stolen the title, borrowed against it, or sold the property, it's 60 to 90 days for that person to even figure out that they're the victim of this crime.
00:36:33.080First off, are you saying now, because I got some text messages from some people who were part of the original 19 that said during the second round and before third that, quote unquote, the knives are out, particularly in the cloakroom.
00:36:45.400Are you saying you were threatened by members that you're going to be thrown off committees because of your principled stand on this, that people are actually saying you're going to lose committee assignments, you're going to lose these type of things that you need as a congressman?
00:37:27.640He said that the voters elected their their representatives in their district and the conference elects who goes on to committees.
00:37:37.500He affirmed what Mike Rogers said, that if we oppose Kevin McCarthy, we will not have committee assignments, which is stripping millions of voices away from the United States House of Representatives who deserve representation, who deserve a strong voice,
00:37:52.540who deserve an ally and and and need good policies to go to the floor to fix the chaos that the Democrats have caused for the past two years.
00:38:03.800Hold it. Mike Rogers, this wasn't was this in the was this in the was this in the was this in the conference, the conference when you were in the conference this morning,
00:38:11.820he actually stood up and said that if you stand on the floor today and vote against McCarthy, you will be stripped of your committee assignments.
00:38:20.900He said that emphatically and Kevin McCarthy affirmed it.
00:38:24.360What what but you just said right there, if Kevin McCarthy, if you guys go into conference tonight or tomorrow, if Kevin McCarthy would come back and agree to the to the rules packages and other things that you put forward,
00:38:37.040is there a way that you think that with the vote now with Donald's joining you at a 20 looks like he's going the wrong direction?
00:38:44.120Is there a way for Kevin McCarthy to claw his way back here?
00:38:46.860Is there is there is there a path for Kevin McCarthy to become speaker?
00:38:54.960I don't see him accepting this this deal that was offered.
00:38:58.840And with the increasing opposition, it is getting more and more difficult for him.
00:39:04.060And, you know, Jim Jordan stood up and gave a nominating speech for Kevin McCarthy.
00:39:09.200And really, his nominating speech just affirmed why he needs to be speaker of the House.
00:39:14.780This is someone who actually puts America first, who is a proven fighter, who is principled and will put forward the policies that we need right now.
00:39:23.320But, no, I think it's becoming more and more difficult for Kevin to get that gavel.
00:39:29.500Last thing, have you asked in any of these negotiations, have you ever asked for anything for yourself personally?
00:39:34.260It has always been for the team, for the Congress, for the American people.
00:39:38.280Well, every member of Congress requests which committee assignments they would like to have.
00:39:42.740And there were certainly some committee assignments that we had suggested because Kevin said he doesn't know where Freedom Caucus members want to go other than oversight and judiciary.
00:39:53.460And so there were several members who were listed for committee assignments.
00:39:57.940But, look, Steve, every member of Congress requests committee assignments.
00:40:02.720It says where they are going to be the most beneficial to serve their districts and to serve our country.
00:40:09.980Even Marjorie Taylor Greene has requested to be on Rules and Oversight Committee and was granted that by Kevin McCarthy.
00:40:17.540So this isn't anything that's abnormal.
00:40:19.560This is something that all 435 members of Congress go to their leaders and request.
00:40:26.160Congressman, we've got about a minute.
00:40:44.060We're supposed to use our votes, not just grant them.
00:40:47.560I'm optimistic history will show that we are on the right side of the argument and the country will be better off for sticking to our principles and the agenda that we are elected to fight for.
00:40:57.160I'm very proud to stand with the other 19 members who say, let's get together and debate.
00:41:04.800The entire House of Representatives was convened together under in one room today.
00:41:11.120This is not something that I have seen as a member of Congress.
00:41:14.720And it was a beautiful thing to watch the debate and to be there together, actually casting meaningful votes.
00:41:24.300So I would tell the American people to remain optimistic.
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00:44:45.880Well, sometimes we have to do jobs that we don't really want to do.
00:44:50.020And sometimes we have to do jobs that we are called to do.
00:44:53.400And so, my colleagues, I rise to nominate the most talented, hardest-working member of the Republican Conference, who just gave a speech with more vision than we have ever heard from the alternative.
00:45:10.140Well, perhaps today, humble to a fault, maybe the right person for the job of Speaker of the House isn't someone who has sold shares of themselves for more than a decade to get it.
00:45:30.180Maybe Jim Jordan is the right person for Speaker of the House because he is not beholden to the lobbyists and special interests who have corrupted this place and corrupted this nation under the leadership of both Republicans and Democrats.
00:45:48.680Maybe Jim Jordan would be the right person for Speaker of the House because he wouldn't fight us when we try to get a term limits bill on the floor.
00:45:55.300Maybe Jim Jordan would be the right person because he wouldn't fight us when we try to put a balanced budget on the floor and vote for it.
00:46:02.280And maybe Jim Jordan is the right person because he would endorse the plan that was built by the Texas delegation to finally secure our border.
00:46:11.020Mr. Jordan said in his nomination that there are certain bills that we have to pass to fix the problem.
00:46:19.400The challenge is the alternative has been someone voting for the very bills that have caused these problems.
00:46:27.220Mr. Jordan says that we cannot accept legislation like the omnibus, and I fully agree.
00:46:33.120And if Jim Jordan were Speaker of the House, if he were the leader of the Republican team, we wouldn't have that circumstance choking the economy of our country, increasing inflation and diminishing the prospects of a better life for our fellow Americans.
00:46:47.380And finally, Mr. Jordan said we must engage in rigorous oversight.
00:46:53.460Every one of my Republican colleagues knows that the person who can lead that oversight effort, who works on it every day, who has the skill and the talent and the will is Jim Jordan.
00:47:04.360I'm nominating him and I'm voting for him.
00:47:19.940That was a magnificent and just what, two and a half minutes to summarize the Jim Jordan and why he would be the best guy to be Speaker of the House.
00:47:28.120Just a magnificent speech they've adjourned.
00:47:30.520And let me tell you what's going on in Washington right now.
00:47:51.860If you stand up on the floor of the House in front of the world and say that you're going to vote for somebody besides Kevin McCarthy, we're going to strip you because we're going to win.
00:48:01.460We're going to strip you of your committee assignments.
00:48:04.060That's why the original 19, that is a profiles.
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