GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy is a 'weak' and spineless servant of 'the Trump cult': journalist

Following the storming of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy did something he seldom does: he dared to disagree with then-President Donald Trump. But he has since walked that back. And journalist A.B. Stoddard, in a scathing article published by the conservative website The Bulwark on February 1, slams McCarthy as the epitome of cowardice in Washington, D.C.

Axios' Jonathan Swan, on January 12, reported that after the January 6 attack, Trump claimed that Antifa activists were the ones who invaded and ransacked the U.S. Capitol Building — and McCarthy, during a conservation with the president, told him, "It's not Antifa — it's MAGA. I know. I was there." And McCarthy told him, "Stop it. It's over. The election is over."

But last week, McCarthy went to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida to meet with the former president and smooth things over — demonstrating that even after a violent insurrection, Trump maintains a firm grip on the Republican Party.

"McCarthy's sin is well known," Stoddard explains. "He acknowledged Trump's incitement of violence. McCarthy was actually horrified by the January 6 attack on the Capitol. He pleaded with Trump to send reinforcements and urge the insurrectionists to stand down. He told the president that, no, Antifa and left-wing agitators were not the attackers. Days later, McCarthy said the president bore some responsibility for the violence."

Stoddard continues, "With a breakup looming, 'My Kevin' — as Trump affectionately calls him — walked back his truth-telling within days. He said that not only did Trump not 'provoke' violence on January 6, but that 'Trump continues to have that ability to lead this party and unite.' The 'unite' part is extra-cute, in that cheeky way McCarthy talks — like when he told Greta Van Susteren that 'everybody' has 'some responsibility' for the insurrection that killed five Americans."

After his visit to Mar-a-Lago, Stoddard notes, McCarthy was quick to praise Trump — saying, "Today, President Trump committed to helping elect Republicans in the House and Senate in 2022. A Republican majority will listen to our fellow Americans and solve the challenges facing our nation…. President Trump's popularity has never been stronger than it is today."

Stoddard explains, "Trump expects a relentless and total defense waged on his behalf, beginning with the impeachment trial and extending into the indefinite future and any criminal matters that may arise in the months and years to come. And that's all cool with McCarthy because he was perfectly suited to be Trump's apprentice all along. He knew the game even before he joined the show: to survive in Trumpworld, you have to be purely transactional and devoid of shame."

McCarthy, according to Stoddard, is so spineless that he will even throw Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming under the bus if that's what it takes to remain in Trump's good graces. Trump and his sycophants are furious with Cheney for supporting Trump's impeachment.

"Like GOP Whip Steve Scalise, McCarthy said he supports Cheney in her leadership post," Stoddard observes. "But Trump hates Cheney, so McCarthy is trying to walk that back, too. He now says that 'questions need to be answered,' such as the 'style in which things were delivered.'"

McCarthy, Stoddard adds, will gladly flip-flop to avoid offending Trump.

"The big takeaway from all of this is that Kevin McCarthy isn't actually the leader of the Republican House caucus," Stoddard argues. "Donald Trump is…. Kevin McCarthy is not a leader of the Republican Party. He's just another Republican following the Trump cult and hoping for the best."