(Joshua Paladino, Headline USA) The longtime Republican congressman who first hired Kevin McCarthy to work as his aide criticized the House Minority Leader for being a liar and for having been corrupted by power, National File reported.
“The Kevin McCarthy who is now, at this time, in the House isn’t the Kevin McCarthy I worked with,” said former Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Calif, who called McCarthy his “protege.”
When Thomas decided to retire from the Houses after 28 years, he endorsed McCarthy in his former district’s election.
“Kevin basically is whatever you want him to be. He lies,” Thomas said. “He’ll change the lie if necessary. How can anyone trust his word?”
Thomas opposed former Trump’s efforts to ensure election integrity following the 2020 presidential election, yet he called McCarthy a “hypocrite” for flip-flopping.
First, McCarthy backed Trump’s plan for the House and Senate to send the Electoral College votes back to the states in some contested elections.
Then, according to Thomas, corporate donors threatened to pull funds from the Republican congressional campaigns, and McCarthy backed down, declared the election legitimate, called January 6th a violent attack, and proclaimed Joe Biden the president.
For following the money, Thomas said “he’s the guy in the college fraternity that everybody liked and winds up selling life insurance, convincing people they need it.”
Some Republican representatives plan to oppose McCarthy, the current House Minority Leader and presumptive House Speaker, in his bid to lead the House.
“I believe…that there’s a dozen or so who will show the steel courage that’s needed…that will not be persuaded [to vote for McCarthy],” Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., said in late November.
In response to criticism that he may not become the speaker, McCarthy called a reporter’s question “inappropriate.”
“Why has it been so hard for you to get 218 votes to become speaker?” the reporter asked. “You’ve been meeting with members of the Freedom Caucus but the votes just aren’t there.”
