News : Kevin McCarthy on Trump: America doesn't want "retribution"

Sunday, December 10, 2023

Kevin McCarthy on Trump: America doesn't want "retribution"

Dec. 10, 2023

Less than two months after being the first House speaker to be forced out of his position by a vote, Rep. Kevin McCarthy announced last week that he would be leaving Congress at the end of the year -- a year before his term is over. In his first interview since that announcement, he tells Robert Costa that he will support former President Donald Trump, and he could serve "in the right position" in Trump's cabinet. But when Costa pushed McCarthy on how Trump has been talking about retribution, McCarthy said the former president needs to "stop that." Watch Costa's full interview with McCarthy here and watch Costa and Ed O'Keefe discuss this interview and watch more of the biggest stories out of Washington on "Face the Nation" here.

Kevin McCarthy on Trump: America doesn't want "retribution"

California Republican Kevin McCarthy holds a place in history as the first-ever Speaker of the House to be voted out of that position. Historic, but looking at how his tenure began, hardly a shock. Back in January, it took McCarthy 15 ballots - more than any Speaker dating back before the Civil War - to win the gavel.

McCarthy said, "When you go into the Senate, it's like being in a country club - not a lot of people around. The House is like you walk into a truck stop to have breakfast. But that's the way the founders designed it. We're a microcosm of society, so everything good and bad in society is gonna be here."

Now after being ousted as speaker, the 58-year-old McCarthy is quitting Congress a year before his term is out. He leaves Republicans with a slim majority that is struggling mightily to find consensus.

On Friday McCarthy sat down with Robert Costa on "CBS News Sunday Morning" for his first TV interview since announcing his retirement from Congress. Read more here and watch the full interview here.

Former Rep. George Santos tells CBS New York's Marcia Kramer: "I'm so proud of the legacy I leave behind" after being expelled

George Santos has left the U.S. House of Representatives, but apparently not the public arena. He's been personalized videos on Cameo and alleging widespread corruption in Congress since he was expelled.

Santos, the sixth person ever expelled from the House, sat down for an exclusive interview with CBS New York's Marcia Kramer on "The Point" this week.

Santos discussed his recent financial boon from making videos on Cameo, plans for a potential plea deal with federal prosecutors, corruption he witnessed in Congress, why he thinks voters will forgive him and more. Watch the full interview here.

On and Off the Trail:

Most Americans disapprove of Biden's handling of Israel-Hamas war -- CBS News poll: President Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas war continues to be met with majority disapproval as relatively few Americans think his administration's actions are bringing things closer to a peaceful resolution, and a rising number of Democrats feel he's showing too much support for Israel. As for Mr. Biden's approach toward any pro-Palestinian protests that take place in the U.S., most would favor no comment, and then there are relatively more who'd like him to condemn those than support them. Republicans, in particular, are the ones most looking for condemnation. (That said, it isn't impacting Mr. Biden's overall approval rating, which is generally holding steady and is at 41%, in part because Americans don't rank the war among the U.S.' top problems.) Read more of the CBS News poll here and watch CBS News director of elections and surveys Anthony Salvanto on "Face the Nation" here.
Elizabeth Warren says Trump returning to White House "not going to happen": Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren tells CBS Boston's Jon Keller that she is confident that former President Donald Trump won't be returning to the White House when votes are tallied in the 2024 election. Warren was asked if she is concerned that Trump could defeat President Joe Biden. "That's not going to happen, I feel pretty confident about this," she said. Warren said she believes voters will vote based on what she sees as a contrast between the two. She cited two "major" issues that happened during Trump's presidency - the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and a tax cut that Warren said "mostly went" to wealthy Americans. Meanwhile, Warren said, she believes Biden is "fighting for working families." Watch more of Keller's interview on Keller @ Large here.
GOP presidential candidates weigh in on January debate participation: There are expected to be three Republican presidential debates in January, but which of the major candidates will actually show up, or even make the stages, is far from clear at this point. A CNN debate will be hosted in Iowa, which has the first Republican caucus, while CNN and ABC/WMUR are set to have separate debates in New Hampshire, which is home to the first presidential primary. Candidates' ability to participate will hinge on meeting requirements laid out by each organization hosting the debates. But as of Friday evening, Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign was the only one to tell CBS News that the Ohio entrepreneur intends to be at each of the upcoming trio of debates, which were announced earlier this week. Read more from Shawna Mizelle and Jacob Rosen.
Democrat John Whitmire wins Houston mayoral runoff over Sheila Jackson Lee: Democratic state Sen. John Whitmire defeated Democratic U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Saturday night in Houston's closely-watched mayoral race, according to the Associated Press. As of Saturday evening, Whitmire was leading by a resounding margin of 65.27% to 34.73%. Caroline Linton breaks down the "sleepy race" for who will lead America's fourth largest-city -- and what is likely to be the last big election of 2023.

More Politics Stories

Donald Trump says he will not testify in civil fraud trial on Monday: Former President Donald Trump has decided he will not testify as planned on Monday in his New York civil fraud trial. Trump was previously called to testify on Nov. 6 by lawyers for New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office has accused him, two of his sons and their company of a decade-long fraud scheme designed to benefit themselves by hundreds of millions by getting unusually good terms on loans and insurance. That day, he clashed with the judge, Arthur Engoron, while answering many questions with long, rambling diatribes. He was expected to be his team's final witness. The state has indicated it intends to call a pair of witnesses to rebut testimony by real estate and accounting experts called in Trump's defense. Read more from Graham Kates.
Bernie Sanders: "Israel is losing the war" in public opinion: Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont said Sunday that Israel is "losing the war" of worldwide public opinion as it seeks to eradicate Hamas in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack. Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, told "Face the Nation" that Israel has the "right to defend itself" against Hamas, but it "cannot go to war against the Palestinian people and cause the horrific damage to human life that we are seeing right now." "Israel is losing the war in terms of how the world is looking at this situation," he said. Read more here from Caitlin Yilek and watch Margaret Brennan's full interview with Sanders here.
White House OMB director Shalanda Young says "it's time to cut a deal" on national security : A top White House official called on Republicans to settle for border security measures that Democrats will support as time runs out for Congress to pass emergency funding for Ukraine. "Negotiations that fail is when one side can't take yes for an answer. They push for too much," Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, told "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "You can't have everything your way in a negotiation. Democrats and Republicans have to vote for this bill," she said. "It's time to cut a deal that both sides can agree to." Read more here from Caitlin Yilek, and watch Margaret Brennan's full interview with Young here and her interview with Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, one of the negotiators with the White House, here.