Republicans are looking for a new Speaker of the House of Representatives

Former US President Donald Trump announced his readiness to temporarily take the place of Speaker of the US House of Representatives, “if necessary.” On October 3, the House voted for the first time to remove Republican Kevin McCarthy from office.

“They [республиканцы] asked me to take this place [спикера], if they themselves cannot get the required number of votes,” Trump said on the night of October 5 in an interview with Fox News Digital. He later expressed support for the candidacy of Republican Jim Jordan. Trump also confirmed that he will attend a meeting of fellow party members on October 10, during which they will determine a candidate for the post of speaker.

On October 6, two Republicans were ready to fight for the post of speaker: the head of the parliamentary faction, Steve Scalise, and the chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, Jim Jordan. Both are pro-Trump Republicans. “A lot of people asked me to do this because they had confidence in me. We’ll see what happens… but I think I can,” Jordan said in his letter to party members. The congressman named legislative activity on migration issues, a balanced budget and “oversight” of the work of the Joe Biden administration as his main advantages.

Scalise, in turn, also drew attention to his career achievements and loyalty to conservative values. “Now, more than ever, we must heal deep wounds, focus on our goals, and get back to work…” Scalise said in the statement.

So far, Jordan has managed to get two important votes in his favor. One of the right-wing leaders, Matt Gaetz, spoke in favor of his candidacy, calling the congressman his “mentor.” He also received Trump’s blessing. Asked by CBS News about the new candidates, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy called them “old and good friends” who will “do a great job.”

On October 3, as a result of voting on the proposed resolution, congressmen in the House of Representatives decided to dismiss McCarthy. The initiator of the “withdrawal” was Goetz. The pretext for Gaetz’s decision was the passage of a bill that would provide short-term funding for the federal government. McCarthy became the first speaker in US history to be removed by an official decision of a majority of congressmen: 218 to 210.

The post of Speaker of the House of Representatives is the third most important in the political hierarchy of the United States. The incumbent plays a major role in shaping the legislative agenda of Congress and also influences decisions on the distribution of federal funds. In addition, according to the Law of Succession of 1947, the Speaker is second in line to the presidency after the Vice President.

In the history of the United States, there are even cases when the speaker concentrated almost unlimited power in his hands within the framework of Congress. So in 1910, the Republicans criticized their fellow party member Joseph Cannon and demanded a redistribution of his powers between relevant committees. In the 1970s there was a reverse redistribution of some powers in favor of the speaker.

From the point of view of the law, nothing prevents Trump from being speaker: the constitution does not establish that the position can be held by a member of the House of Representatives, Igor Slabykh, a lawyer practicing in the United States, told Vedomosti. The expert also emphasized that the chamber’s rules require “members, delegates and commissioners” to resign from committee positions if such a person is charged with a criminal offense with a possible sentence of two years or more. “But even if we imagine a situation where Trump is elected speaker, the literal interpretation shows that the requirement to leave office after an accusation does not apply to the speaker,” the lawyer noted.

Slabykh also advises not to overestimate the insinuations about Trump’s desire to gain immunity through the position of speaker. “Congressmen have immunity from criminal prosecution, but it is very limited and will not help Trump in any way,” the expert concluded.

Political scientist Jan Veselov also doubts the ex-president’s chances of becoming speaker. He cites Republican Conference rules that require any official under indictment to immediately leave office. In addition, lawyer Igor Slabykh added that the rules of the conference are interpreted much more broadly than the rules of the House of Representatives.

Veselov clarifies that the Republicans themselves would not like to see Trump as speaker, since he would bring more chaos to the work of the chamber than constructiveness. As the political scientist noted, it is unlikely that any Republican will state this publicly due to image risks. The expert is also confident that Trump’s vote in support of Jordan could be decisive, which relieves him of the need to become a “temporary figure.” But the expert emphasizes that a loyal speaker will more actively promote the Trumpist agenda in Congress, for example, the impeachment of Biden.