Trump goes on Sunday endorsement spree where he backs McCarthy for reelection in upcoming primary

Donald Trump issued a series of endorsements from his Save America PAC email on Sunday, including of GOP House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

The endorsement of McCarthy in his reelection to his district in California comes just two days before the primary election in the deep blue state. During the last election in 2020, McCarthy beat his Democratic challenger by 24.2 percent.

‘Congressman Kevin McCarthy is an outstanding Representative for the people of California, and a strong and fearless Leader of the House Republican Conference,’ the former president wrote.

Trump’s backing of McCarthy also comes just before the Democratic select committee plans to start prime time hearings related to the January 6 Capitol riot, for which the House impeached the ex-president last year.

McCarthy said last month that he would not be complying with the panel’s subpoena, calling the move part of the left’s ‘abusive tactics’.

While reports emerged earlier this year of recordings suggesting that McCarthy thought Trump held responsibility for the Capitol riot, the Minority Leader insists that he was only going through options within the caucus.

McCarthy visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida just weeks after the attack.

Donald Trump issued an official endorsement of GOP House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Sunday. Pictured: McCarthy (right) visits Trump (left) at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida weeks after the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot

Donald Trump issued an official endorsement of GOP House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Sunday. Pictured: McCarthy (right) visits Trump (left) at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida weeks after the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot

Trump said McCarthy will 'hold Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi accountable'

Trump said McCarthy will ‘hold Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi accountable’

‘In Congress, Kevin is a tireless advocate for the people of Bakersfield and the Central Valley,’ Trump said in his endorsement of the eight-term lawmaker. ‘He is working incredibly hard to Stop Inflation, Deliver Water Solutions, and Hold Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi Accountable for their catastrophic failures and dereliction of duty.’

He continued: ‘As Leader, Kevin is building a ‘Commitment to America’ platform to Grow our Economy, Fight Big Tech Censorship, Secure the Border, Strengthen our Military, Defend the Second Amendment, Improve our Health Care, Restore American Energy Independence, Support our Brave Veterans, and Uphold the Rule of Law and American Values.’

Kevin McCarthy has my Complete and Total Endorsement for California’s 20th Congressional District!

Trump prides himself on having coattails and many of his supporters consider his endorsements golden tickets for candidates in deep red districts.

In the primary elections held so far, 89 of the candidates Trump endorsed in House, Senate and state-wide races have won in the 2022 midterms, while only eight have lost and two are going to runoff elections.

Most predictions show a Republican bloodbath in November, especially with a failing economy coupled with record-high inflation and gas prices.

One of the ten Republican representatives who voted to impeach Trump after the January 6 attack wouldn’t commit to supporting McCarthy to become speaker if the GOP retakes the House in the 2022 midterms.

South Carolina Congressman Tom Rice told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl in an interview that aired Sunday morning that he thinks Wyoming GOP Representative Liz Cheney would make a ‘great Speaker’, even though she will almost assuredly lose her primary in August.

‘If Republicans win back the House do you think McCarthy should be Speaker?’ Karl asked Rice in the pre-recorded interview.

‘I’m not going to answer that one right now,’ Rice responded with a smirk.

He added: ‘We’ll see what happens.’

Rice also said that he could potentially support Trump again ‘if he came out and said, ‘I’m sorry that I made a huge mistake on January 6.’

‘Then I might consider it,’ he added.

When asked about the potential of congressional leadership from Cheney, Rice immediately said: ‘I think she’d be a great Speaker.’

‘I think she’s a real Republican. I think she is very conservative and I think she’s a fearless leader,’ Rice told Karl in his interview, which aired Sunday morning on ABC’s This Week program.

Rice insisted that his decision to impeach Trump was the true ‘conservative vote.’

Representative Tom Rice, one of the Republicans who was in favor of impeaching Donald Trump after the January 6 Capitol riot, wouldn't say Sunday if he would support Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy becoming speaker if the GOP retook a majority in the House in the 2022 midterms

Representative Tom Rice, one of the Republicans who was in favor of impeaching Donald Trump after the January 6 Capitol riot, wouldn’t say Sunday if he would support Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy becoming speaker if the GOP retook a majority in the House in the 2022 midterms

The congressman running for his sixth term in office explained to Karl that he is among the Republicans who chose to ‘defend the Constitution’ in voting for impeachment. 

‘Why are you such an outlier then, on your willingness to stand up to Donald Trump? I mean, why are there so few Republicans like you?’ Karl asked.

‘It’s really interesting because there are people calling me a RINO,’ Rice said.

‘Republican in Name Only,’ the ABC reporter detailed the acronym Trump has dubbed his in-party enemies. ‘When you have a voting record that is more conservative than –’

‘Right, absolutely,’ Rice cut in. ‘Defending the Constitution is a bedrock of the Republican platform, right?’

‘Defend the Constitution – and that’s what I did. That was the conservative vote,’ he said of his vote last year.

‘Impeachment is the conservative vote?’ Karl questioned.

‘Absolutely, it was the conservative vote,’ Rice replied. ‘There’s no question in my mind.’

Rice won reelection for his fifth term in 2020 with 61.8 percent against his Democratic challenger’s 38.1 percent as Trump lost his reelection bid. The congressman is now running for a sixth shot at representing South Carolina’s northeastern shore line, including Myrtle Beach.

Although some other Republicans’ vote to impeach Trump was more predictable, not many saw Rice’s vote coming.

The district Rice represents is very pro-Trump, with the former president winning it with 59 percent to 40 percent. He also gave no indication ahead of the vote that he would be in favor of the second impeachment of Trump.

Speculation stirred during his vote that he had unintentionally cast the wrong vote, but Rice later clarified on Twitter: ‘I have backed this President through thick and thin for four years. I campaigned for him and voted for him twice. But, this utter failure is inexcusable.’

Two of those who voted to impeach – Wyoming’s at-large Representative Liz Cheney and Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger – are the two Republicans serving with seven Democrats on Nancy Pelosi’s panel probing the January 6 Capitol riot.

Representatives Adam Kinzinger (right) and Liz Cheney (left) are two of the Republicans who voted for impeachment and are on the Democrat-led panel probing the January 6 Capitol riot

Representatives Adam Kinzinger (right) and Liz Cheney (left) are two of the Republicans who voted for impeachment and are on the Democrat-led panel probing the January 6 Capitol riot

The select committee will begin prime time hearings this week in the probe into the Capitol attack last January, which Democrats and the ten Republicans tried to immediately peg on Trump and his rhetoric toward his supporters after the 2020 presidential election.

Those GOP lawmakers who voted to impeach Trump for the second time include, Cheney, Kinzinger, Rice, Dan Newhouse and Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington, Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, Fred Upton and Peter Meijer of Michigan, John Katko of New York and David Valadao of California. 

Rice said that Cheney, who was booted from her post as No. 3 Republican after her impeachment vote, would make a ‘great’ Speaker of the House.

Not only did Cheney lose her spot as Republican Conference Chairwoman, she was also censured by the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the GOP in her home state of Wyoming.

Cheney is running for reelection for the at-large district in the most pro-Trump state, but it’s unlikely she will win come the primary in August.

Her Trump-backed primary competitor Harriet Hageman is showing 30 points ahead just a few months before the election.

source: dailymail.co.uk