House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Thursday promised to restore Reps. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) and Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-GA) committee assignments if Republicans take back the majority in next year’s midterm elections.
“They’ll have committees,” McCarthy said during a press conference, during which he was asked whether Gosar and Greene could get their seats back if the GOP retakes the majority. “They may have other committee assignments. They may have better committee assignments.”
Gosar and Greene have lost committee seats in the past year. On Wednesday, the House voted to strip Gosar from his committee assignments for posting an animated video of himself killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and attacking President Joe Biden on his social media accounts. Last February, Greene lost her committee seats after social media comments surfaced in which she approved of calls for the execution of Democratic lawmakers.
McCarthy also threatened that if the GOP were to retake the majority, the party would consider removing Democrats from committees because of their move to censure Gosar and Greene.
“Pelosi has set new policies. Those same members that I talked about in my speech voted for this new policy,” he said, referring to a speech he gave before the censure vote Wednesday in which he named various Democrats who had made comments that McCarthy cast as controversial.
“This isn’t about threats, but it’s about holding people accountable,” McCarthy added.
McCarthy’s remarks confirm Greene’s remarks to reporters outside the Capitol on Wednesday shortly before the House voted to censure Gosar.
Greene bragged to reporters on Wednesday that she had been told by House GOP leadership that she is “guaranteed” to get “better” committee assignments if the party wins back the House next year.
“Of course I’ve had conversations about that, and I’m guaranteed to get committees, and there’s no reason why I shouldn’t have them,” Greene said on Wednesday. “I’ve been told by Kevin McCarthy, I’ve been told by Steve Scalise, I’ve been told by everyone. Of course I’m getting committee assignments back, and I’ll get better ones than I had in the first place.”
Asked about what it would take for her to back McCarthy in the race for House speaker if the GOP takes back the chamber, Greene complained that the House minority leader hasn’t “fought” hard enough for her or for Gosar.
“What’s been particularly problematic is that there has been no willingness to fight for people like me,” Greene said, before arguing that there has also been “no fight” for Gosar as she complained about her removal from committees after social media posts glorifying violence against Democrats resurfaced earlier this year.
Greene then griped about Republicans who dared to buck former President Trump and voted to help Democrats pass legislation having “strong” committee assignments.
But despite Greene’s complaints about the House minority leader’s so-called lack of “leadership” in defending GOP lawmakers who have espoused violent rhetoric, McCarthy has stood by Gosar, accusing Democrats of an “abuse of power” before the censure vote on Wednesday.
“The Speaker is burning down the House on her way out the door,” McCarthy said on Wednesday.
Watch McCarthy’s Thursday remarks below:
