Could House give Patrick McHenry more power after failed speaker votes?
COVERED A NUMBER ATTACHMENT KILLED A NUMBER OF YOUR OF — OPERATIVES. >>> WE CONTINUE TO FOLLOW BREAKING NEWS OUT OF CAPITOL HILL. OHIO CONGRESSMAN JIM JORDAN HAS LOST THE SECOND ROUND OF VOTING FOR SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE. THE HOUSE IS NOW IN RECESS. A TOTAL OF 199 REPUBLICANS VOTED FOR THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIR BUT 22 DID NOT VOTE FOR HIM. CONGRESSMAN JORDAN NEEDS 217 VOTES IN ORDER TO WIN THE GAVEL. CBS NEWS CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT SCOTT McFARLANE JOINED IS NOT TO TALK ABOUT THIS. YOU HAD 20 REPUBLICANS WHO DIDN’T VOTE FOR JORDAN YESTERDAY AND TODAY
THE NUMBER IS EVEN LARGER. HOW SURPRISING IS THAT? >> THE MARGIN JUST SEEMS INTRANSIGENT AT THIS MOMENT AND IT IS ULTIMATELY LEADING TO THE STEW OF ANTENNAS, AGGRAVATION, AND ANGER HERE IN THE U.S. HOUSE AMONG REPUBLICANS. THEY JUST WANT THIS TO BE OVER WITH BUT THEY ARE HEADING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. I SPOKE WITH THREE SUPPORTERS OF JIM JORDAN IF YOU WANT TO GO PICK TRIP TO TEXAS FROM BYRON FOR — AND TENNESSEE TOOK EACH OF THEM TOLD ME THAT THEY THINK JIM JORDAN SHOULD GET BACK OUT THERE AND HAVE ANOTHER VOTE. HAVE A THIRD
BALLOT ON THE SPEAKER’S RACE AND POTENTIALLY USE THE SAME TYPE OF POLITICAL BRUTE FORCE THAT KEVIN McCARTHY USED THROUGH 15 ROUNDS IN JANUARY BUT THE TRAJECTORY IS
OF COURSE. THE SPEAKER PRO TEM RIGHT NOW WHO IS SIMPLY PRESIDING OVER THE VOTES CAN YOU JUST ELABORATE ON WHY WE ARE HEARING HIS NAME COMING UP SO MUCH AS AN ALTERNATIVE. LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS. REPUBLICANS HAVING SAYING IT OPENLY TO CAMERAS. WE HAVE TO GO WITH PATRICK McHENRY. IT IS ONLY OFFRAMP HERE. HE MAY GET SUPPORT FROM DEMOCRATS IN DOING THAT ALSO. IT IS REALLY A THIRD WAY THAT IS GAINING SOME TRACTION DOESN’T HAVE SUFFICIENT TRACTION? IT IS A DIFFERENT STORY BUT WHAT THEY ARE
SUGGESTING IS EXPANDING THE PORTFOLIO AND THE POWERS OF THE SPEAKER PRO TEM. IS ACTING SPEAKER WHO SO FAR HAS SEEN HIS ONLY ROLE AS SHEPHERDING THE U.S. HOUSE TOWARDS THE NEXT SPEAKER VOTE BUT THEY WANT TO EMPOWER HIM INSTEAD TO FULLY REOPEN THE FLOOR, RESUME THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS, RESUME DEBATE AND GET THE HOUSE FUNCTIONING AGAIN. IT MAY BE A PROVOCATIVE NOTION AND CERTAINLY UNPRECEDENTED. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME AMERICA HAS OF EVER COME ACROSS THIS CIRCUMSTANCE. BUT IT ALSO MAY BE SIMPLER TO MAKE THAT WORK THAN TO FIND ANYONE IN SAUD THE HOUSE REPUBLICAN CONFERECE
CAPABLE OF GETTING 217 VOTES. LET’S SEE WHAT MOMENTUM WAS BUILT FOR THAT IDEA IF JIM JORDAN GOES BACK TO THE FLOOR FOR A THIRD BALLOT, LOSES MORE SUPPORT, OR BACKS AWAY FROM HIS RUN ALTOGETHER. >> WE SAW CONGRESSMAN JORDAN SETTLING AROUND TO THE WEARY REPUBLICANS WHO HAD NOT SUPPORTED HIM. WE SAW HIM THIS MORNING PRESSING THE HOUSE FLOOR, STILL TRYING TO CONVINCE THE LAST FEW HOLDOUTS. NOW THAT THE HOUSE IS IN RECESS BEFORE THIS NEXT VOTE, WHAT IS HAPPENING AND WHERE DO MEMBERS GO FROM HERE, AND I GUESS, DOES HE STILL TRY THIS FULL-COURT PRESS.
>> THERE IS NO INDICATION OF WHAT SILVER BULLETS CAN BE FIRED BY JIM JORDAN TO BRING BACK SO MANY. HE NEEDS TO GET 18 OR 19 OF THESE 22 BACON TO HIS CAMP. THERE IS SUCH A POLITICAL DIVERSITY AMONG HIS DEFECTORS. YOU HAVE SOME OF THOSE FRESHMAN REPUBLICANS WHO SWUNG LOU DISTRICTS READ LAST YEAR. SOME OF THOSE WHO MAY BE IN DISTRICTS PRESIDENT BIDEN ONE IN 2020. THIS MAY BE A POLITICALLY CARELESS MOVE FOR THEM TO VOTE FOR A FIREBRAND CONSERVATIVE MILA MEDIA DARLING LIKE JIM JORDAN. THING ABOUT THE REPUBLICAN FROM MICHIGAN, NEW YORK AND
VIRGINIA AMONG THOSE WHO DEFECTED FROM JIM JORDAN. BUT THERE ALSO, SOME INSTITUTIONAL HERE OR NOT AT ALL FROM MODERATE DISTRICTS. THE CHAIR OF THE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE. KAY GRANGER OF TEXAS. A LONGTIME HEALTH MEMBER. A VETERAN OF THESE PARTS. MIKE SIMPSON OF IDAHO. THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO BRING ALL OF THOSE COALITIONS BACK AT ONCE. AND IF JIM JORDAN HAD THAT SILVER BULLET OR AT LEAS
