Firebrand Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) wrote to the pinnacle of the federal agency liable for operations on the US Capitol on Tuesday and asked how long before Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif) “is taken into account a squatter” within the speaker of the House’s office.
“What’s the idea in law, House rule, or precedent to permit someone who has placed second in three successive speaker elections to occupy the Speaker of the House Office? How long will he remain there before he is taken into account a squatter?” Gaetz wrote in his letter to Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton on Tuesday.
McCarthy and his staff had spent Monday moving belongings into the House speaker’s office formerly occupied by Rep. Nancy Pelsoi (D-Calif.). The Republican leader and his staff are reportedly already using the suite the US Capitol to work out of, which CNN reports is standard protocol.
McCarthy didn’t obtain the required variety of votes to be named House speaker on three ballots Tuesday before the House adjourned, leaving many wondering how long the ability struggle will last.
“It seems Mr. McCarthy can now not be considered Speaker-Designate following today’s balloting,” Gaetz added in his letter, which seeks a response from the architect as “promptly” as possible.
On the third and final ballot Tuesday, 20 Republicans voted for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to be House speaker over McCarthy, and all 212 Democrats selected Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
Without Democratic support, McCarthy can only stand to lose 4 Republicans to be able to win the election.
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The House is predicted to maneuver forward with a fourth round of voting on Wednesday.
Gaetz and nine other Republicans voted for conservative Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) to be House speaker on Tuesday’s first round of voting, before the Biggs coalition rallied around Jordan in the following two rounds of voting.
