An elected official from the American hard right, Matt Gaetz, filed a motion on Monday to impeach the Republican President of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy.
This procedural maneuver, very rarely used in American parliamentary history, comes in the wake of the adoption on Saturday by Congress of a provisional budget for the administration, which many conservatives opposed.
The motion filed by Matt Gaetz, an elected official from Florida, will likely trigger a showdown in the coming days in the House of Representatives.
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“Go ahead!”, Mr. McCarthy immediately responded in a defiant tone, in a message on X (formerly Twitter).
Very close to Donald Trump, Mr. Gaetz accuses Kevin McCarthy of having concluded a “secret agreement” with President Joe Biden on a possible envelope for Ukraine, in the middle of budgetary negotiations.
AFP
However, the right wing of the Republican Party is strongly opposed to the release of additional funds for kyiv, believing that this money should instead be used to fight the migration crisis on the border between the United States and Mexico.
This group has a de facto veto in the House on a large number of files given the very thin Republican majority in this institution.
Kevin McCarthy, a 58-year-old speaker, was elected by force in January, due to this very slim majority.
To reach the perch, he had to make enormous concessions with around twenty Trumpists, including the possibility that any elected official would have the power to call a vote to remove him.
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This fratricidal initiative was expected: Mr. McCarthy, elected at the cost of numerous negotiations with the Trumpists, said on Saturday that he was aware that he was risking his seat.
“You know what, if I have to risk my position to defend the American people, I will,” he assured.
To be adopted, this motion requires a majority vote in the House.
In order to keep his seat, the Republican Speaker of the House may have to rely on Democratic votes. However, for the latter, nothing has been decided. Discussions are underway across Joe Biden’s party to decide whether or not Kevin McCarthy deserves to be saved.