Kevin McCarthy promises to seek the truth, but professes ignorance on so many key issues | Opinion
On Feb. 22 House Speaker Kevin McCarthy pinned a message to the top of his feed in Twitter, and it remained uppermost as of March 14:
In the tweet, McCarthy pledges to get to the truth of “the origins of COVID.” He promises to find out “why the DOJ went after parents.” And he will get to the bottom of “why American lives were lost in Afghanistan.” (DOJ stands for the Department of Justice, the federal law enforcement agency.)
McCarthy, the Republican from Bakersfield who now represents a sizable part of Fresno County, broadcasts to 2.4 million followers on Twitter.
He closed the tweet with this promise: “Your Republican majority is in pursuit of the truth and will hold this administration accountable.”
The “majority” is what the Republicans hold by the thinnest of margins — four members — in the House. “This administration” refers to President Biden.
The House speaker is second in line to the presidency, with only the vice president getting priority in the plan of succession. So it is only right that McCarthy promises to pursue the truth.
Claims to not know
Yet, at the same time, McCarthy professes ignorance on so many other key issues.
This was revealed in a new column by Dana Milbank of The Washington Post. Milbank contrasted a number of events with McCarthy’s response when asked about them.
Former President Trump’s speech on Jan. 6 incited a crowd to attack the Capitol? “I didn’t watch it,” McCarthy said.
At that time, McCarthy was the minority leader, meaning he was the head of Republicans in the House. So he certainly should have been aware of Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia likening the insurrectionists’ riot to a “normal tourist visit.”
As Milbank put it, “I don’t know what Congressman Clyde said,” quoth McCarthy, and “I didn’t see it.”
Following Jan. 6 came the proposal to form a House committee to investigate the riot and actions by Trump and others in his administration. McCarthy appointed a representative to negotiate with Democrats on forming the commission. Their bipartisan deal?
McCarthy: “I haven’t read through it.”
Milbank cites further:
▪ Trump, in a recorded phone call, demanded Georgia’s secretary of state “find” enough votes to overturn the election results.
McCarthy: “I have to hear it first.”
▪ Trump told four congresswomen of color (three of them U.S.-born) to “go back” where they came from, prompting chants of “send her back” among his rallygoers.
McCarthy: “I didn’t get to see the rally.”
▪ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia harassing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) with shouts and slander just off the House floor?
McCarthy: “I didn’t see that. I don’t know what happened.”
▪ And most recently, Fox host Tucker Carlson’s heavily edited video of the Jan. 6 rioting that showed only people peacefully gathered at the Capitol — a video McCarthy gave to Carlson and no one else:
McCarthy: “I didn’t see what was aired.”
Tell the whole truth
On the one hand, McCarthy says his GOP team will really discover where COVID began and get to the bottom of the other matters.
Yet the House speaker, among the most powerful politicians in the land, professes ignorance on the other issues? That’s doesn’t add up.
The real answer is that McCarthy knows full well about the events and issues. But rather than give a truthful response — which would make the GOP, Trump, or himself look bad — McCarthy evades, dodges and shrugs. He does so to placate the far-right members of his caucus who held up his winning the speakership until the 15th ballot.
In that light, McCarthy plays an amazingly selfish game and does a disservice to the nation. Voters in the 20th District better pay careful attention and ask themselves if they really want to re-elect such a representative next year.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhat are editorials, and who writes them?
Editorials represent the collective opinion of the The Fresno Bee Editorial Board. They do not reflect the individual opinions of board members, or the views of Bee reporters in the news section. Bee reporters do not participate in editorial board deliberations or weigh in on board decisions.
The board includes Opinion Editor Juan Esparza Loera, opinion writer Tad Weber, McClatchy California Opinion Editor Marcos Bretón and Hannah Holzer, McClatchy California Opinion op-ed editor.
We base our opinions on reporting by our colleagues in the news section, and our own reporting and interviews. Our members attend public meetings, call sources and follow-up on story ideas from readers just as news reporters do. Unlike reporters, who are objective, we share our judgments and state clearly what we think should happen based on our knowledge.
Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.
Tell us what you think
You may or may not agree with our perspective. We believe disagreement is healthy and necessary for a functioning democracy. If you would like to share your own views on events important to the Fresno region, you may write a letter to the editor (220 words or less) or email an op-ed (600 words). Either can be sent to letters@fresnobee.com. Due to a high volume of submissions, we are not able to publish everything we receive.
