Some GOP McCarthy holdouts scoff at claims Trump swayed speaker vote outcome
Some Republicans who had held out against voting for Kevin McCarthy scoffed at claims that former President Donald Trump swayed the outcome of last week's speaker vote. Moments after clinching the House speakership, Kevin McCarthy headed to the cameras to "especially thank" one person he said helped him get the gig: Donald Trump. "I do want to especially thank President Trump," McCarthy told reporters. "I don't think anybody should doubt his influence. He was with me from the beginning … he was all in." The former president, coming off of weeks of negative headlines from having dinner with a white supremacist to having his tax returns released, was also quick to take credit for McCarthy's eventual victory after publicly and privately pressuring members to back him. "The Fake News Media was, believe it or not, very gracious in their reporting that I greatly helped Kevin McCarthy attain the position of Speaker of the House. Thank you, I di...