The tumultuous four-day, 15-round voting session that ended in Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) being elected House Speaker may yet come with casualties as Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) is expected to make a final decision about stepping down from a pivotal role.
During Friday’s waning hours when the representatives-elect reconvened to take what ended up being the final two votes to name a speaker, the already heated debate saw tensions flare when Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) remained a holdout.
As previously reported, Rogers was seen being physically restrained by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) and that violent outburst may mark the end of his time on the Republican Steering Committee, the collective from which all other committee appointments are determined.
Ahead of debate and a vote on the much-contested rules package for the 118th Congress that the speakership negotiations were said to have focused on, Politico’s Olivia Beavers reported Rogers, “will be stepping down from serving on House GOP Steering, two members tell me. He confirmed it with me this AM and said it will happen later this week. The region members will have to elect a new representative.”
NEWS: Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) will be stepping down from serving on House GOP Steering, two members tell me.
He confirmed it with me this AM and said it will happen later this week. The region members will have to elect a new representative.
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) January 9, 2023
Rogers represents Region 6 comprised of Alabama and Tennessee for the time being as Beavers noted the decision hadn’t been finalized and the choice was his own, “He says he his doing this of his own accord, no one is encouraging him to take this step. But he said also caveated there is a chance he could change his mind.”
Since the Alabama congressman’s outburst that left corporate media pundits aghast, likening the “despicable display” to the Civil War and Jan. 6 for good measure, Gaetz and Rogers have publicly shown each other respect and civility.
CNN analysts outraged by heated moment on House floor where one GOP rep needed to be restrained https://t.co/dQSgTF1PWC pic.twitter.com/Mj2dHy0xeq
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) January 8, 2023
On Sunday, Rogers, who is set to be chair of the Armed Services Committee both he and Gaetz work on, said of his colleague that “@RepMattGaetz and I have a long and productive working relationship, that I am sure will continue. I regret that I briefly lost my temper on the House Floor Friday evening and appreciate Matt’s kind understanding.”
Rogers included a clip from a Fox News interview where the Florida congressman was heard saying, “We’re going to work together wonderfully going forward. I don’t think there should be any punishment or reprisal just because he had an animated moment. He has my forgiveness.”
.@RepMattGaetz and I have a long and productive working relationship, that I am sure will continue. I regret that I briefly lost my temper on the House Floor Friday evening and appreciate Matt’s kind understanding. https://t.co/8GmbJHO3cK
— Mike Rogers (@RepMikeRogersAL) January 8, 2023
Worth noting, on Sunday Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) who himself had been nominated against McCarthy during several of the speaker votes, confirmed to Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo that “I’m actually gonna be a part of the Republican Steering Committee as Kevin McCarthy’s designate,” as part of negotiations to secure his support.
Beavers had reported that Reps. Diana Harshbarger (Tenn.) and Robert Aderholt (Ala.) were both vying for support should Rogers vacate his position on the Steering Committee, but no word was given on whether freshman congressman Rep. Andy Ogles (Tenn.), who held back on supporting McCarthy with the majority of the holdouts until the 12th ballot, had sought a similar arrangement to Donalds for his vote.
Republished with permission from American Wire News Service
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Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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