Speaker Kevin McCarthy Monday afternoon welcomed his brief break from talking about House conservatives’ open rebellion — even if it was to talk about another indictment of Donald Trump.
Those are the two political headaches the California Republican is facing this week: figuring out the best approach to Trump’s legal fight and finding a compromise with a band of far-right rebels that has vowed to jam up the House floor until leaders agree to some not-quite-clear demands.
McCarthy seemed to have a more substantive answer to the former problem. He quickly defended Trump, who last week was indicted for mishandling classified documents, echoing Republicans’ assertions that indicting Trump amounted to a double standard in a 20-minute gaggle with reporters. But the speaker dodged when asked whether the former president was innocent, adding that he hasn’t spoken to Trump since the indictment.
“I believe President Trump has not been treated equally like everybody else in this process,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy promised that House Republicans will use their majority to investigate the investigators — a repeat of the conference’s strategy in responding to the Trump indictment brought by New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg earlier this year. He also didn’t rule out Special Counsel Jack Smith being called to testify before Congress, arguing that there was a “responsibility” to understand decisions made by the Justice Department and FBI.
“Why did [Smith] think President Trump should be treated differently than anybody else? I think the American public does need to know,” McCarthy said. Republicans have called foul on the FBI’s previous decision to not charge Hillary Clinton over her mishandling of classified documents, which they’ve argued was comparable to Trump’s transgressions.
McCarthy hinted at other investigative steps Republicans could take, casting fresh doubt on allowing the FBI to build a new headquarters — POLITICO previously reported that key Republicans are discussing blocking the funds.
The speaker had fewer answers when it came to an ongoing conservative rebellion, which kept leaders from passing legislation last week and remained unresolved Monday. When asked if he had the votes to revive that legislation, McCarthy said that leaders would “eventually.”
Already, it’s clear that House Republicans’ response will come from multiple corners of the conference as it plays a familiar role: Trump’s unofficial defense team. Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has already requested new details on last year’s FBI search of Mar-a-Lago for the classified records. McCarthy has also pointed to Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.), who has jurisdiction over the National Archives. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) vowed on Monday that she would try to defund Smith.
The House Intelligence Committee has already talked behind closed doors with National Archives officials earlier this year. Though they largely sidestepped talking about the details of the Trump investigation, Archives officials did delve into how they realized records were missing.
In addition to the arguments about former Democratic presidential nominee Clinton, Republicans have also accused the FBI of a “double standard” between the investigation into Trump’s and Biden’s handling of classified information. Those two cases have key differences, as the search of Mar-a-Lago came after a months-long back-and-forth between Trump’s team and Archives and Justice Department officials.
McCarthy — asked about Trump storing classified documents in a bathroom, according to the Justice Department indictment — quipped back: “A bathroom door locks.”
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