preparing to formally break from Trump in the aftermath of the deadly riot, just as House Democrats started drawing up an impeachment resolution.
“Again, the only discussion I would have with him is that I think this will pass, and it would be my recommendation you should resign,” McCarthy said of the impeachment resolution. “Um, I mean that would be my take, but I don’t think he would take it. But I don’t know.”
McCarthy also suggested he was concerned Trump would ask him about obtaining a pardon from Mike Pence, who would have ascended to the presidency if Trump resigned. Joining McCarthy on the call was Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who was then the third-ranking Republican, along with other Republican leaders. They briefly discussed the prospect of Trump’s Cabinet invoking the 25th Amendment, which would allow Trump to be immediately removed from office, and McCarthy revealed he had spoken to Trump within the previous “couple days.”
“I would be highly surprised if President Trump allowed these left-of-center journalists and pundits to gain a victory by engaging in this warfare,” Jason Miller, a former Trump spokesman, told POLITICO.
If this is "warfare," the bullets, bombs, and missiles are missing. So was release of the information when it would have had an impact, determinative or otherwise, on President Trump. President 45 was impeached, for the second time, on January 13, 2020 and was acquitted by the Senate on February 13 after a trial which began on February 9.
Neither release of the audio nor the conversation it captures casts any further light on the ex-president, who probably will forgive McCarthy once the latter pledges further allegiance to Donald the King. Predictably, no one has taken credit for leaking the audio to New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin or Alexander Burns. It never hurts, however, to look to motive and the third highest-ranking House Republican is the obvious suspect:
After talking to some smart people in DC and elsewhere, the case that @Liz_Cheney leaked the @gopleader tape is weak.
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) April 22, 2022
The breadcrumbs lead back to a surprising quarter.
In related news...
How's your morning going, @EliseStefanik?
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