OAN’s Stephanie Stahl
2:54 PM – Wednesday, October 4, 2023
Former Vice President and GOP presidential candidate Mike Pence criticized a group of Republicans who voted to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House, stating that “chaos is never America’s friend.”
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) was named the acting speaker of the House.
Pence gave his reaction while onstage at a national security and foreign policy event at Georgetown University in Washington.
When news broke of the historic vote, Pence characterized it as a “distraction” from the issues that hold significance for the American people.
“Well let me say that chaos is never America’s friend. And it’s never a friend of American families that are struggling,” he said. “And I’m deeply disappointed that a handful of Republicans would partner with all the Democrats in the House of Representatives to oust the Speaker of the House.”
Eight Republicans joined forces with Democrats in the 216-210 vote to remove McCarthy (R-Calif.), following a motion introduced by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Texas).
This marks the first time in a century that the House has voted to depose a sitting House Speaker.
The historic move leaves the House in disarray, days after McCarthy averted a government shutdown with the support of Democrats while infuriating hard-line Republicans in the process.
Pence said that he expects most Republicans in Congress to vote for McCarthy again, and also expressed that he believes the speakership battle will not “solve” any challenges.
Pence faces a challenging struggle for the nomination within a party that maintains a strong connection to his former head, 45th President Donald Trump.
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