And he’s directing his ire at the top Republican in the House: California Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
On the decision made by McCarthy, at least, he’s 100% right.
At which point, McCarthy took his ball and went home.
That move may have helped McCarthy gain ground in the short term with the Trumpist base. But it also ensured that House Republican leaders would have no eyes inside the committee, meaning they would be playing defense, politically speaking, at every turn.
There are two Republicans on the committee, you will note. But House Republicans removed Liz Cheney from her leadership post for her criticism of Trump, and Adam Kinzinger is retiring and has made his disdain for GOP leaders plain.
The simple fact is that McCarthy’s decision to not have any members loyal to him on the committee ensured a) the pro-Trump viewpoint would not be represented in any way and b) Republicans would be fighting the committee with one hand tied behind their back.
The Point: McCarthy is not just fighting for the House majority this fall. He’s also fighting to be Trump’s pick as the next speaker. How he played the January 6 committee doesn’t help his broader case.