A view of Capitol Hill next to the Supreme Court. Former U.S. Senator Claire McCaskell warned about the chaos of Jim Jordan being the next Speaker of the House. (US CAPITOL/BALLOTPEDIA)
Former Senator Claire McCaskill predicted a rocky tenure for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) if he secures the House speakership.
McCaskill, in an interview with MSNBC, expressed her astonishment over House Republicans’ desire to elevate Jordan to the top post in Congress.
The former senator from Missouri opined that Jordan’s strategized deals to secure the speakership might boomerang, setting the stage for his removal by the Republican’s “crazy caucus.”
She drew parallels with the recent ousting of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) just two weeks prior. “I don’t know how long he’ll be speaker,” McCaskill said.
McCaskill also stated that Jordan was making commitments that would be challenging to uphold, given the chaos within the Republican caucus. She expressed doubt over the duration of Jordan’s possible speakership, suggesting a potential removal scenario in the near future.
“You know, we may be back here again in another month, or two months, and talking about him being removed,” she added
“They have a huge schism in their party and it is between people who have the same foundational values the Republican Party has always had and the Trump people and never the two are going to mix well.”
“They may paper over it tomorrow but I can’t imagine this is going to bode well for our country over the next six months,” the former senator added.
The criticism comes amidst the ongoing unrest within the House GOP, which has been struggling to reach a consensus on its leadership since the historic removal of McCarthy from the Speaker’s role nearly two weeks ago.
Despite the GOP conference’s nomination of Jordan for the Speaker’s role last week, it remains uncertain whether he will secure enough support on the House floor to claim the position.
Meanwhile, Jim Jordan told CNN that he will force a floor vote tomorrow at noon for the House speaker.
Jordan lost the first round on Tuesday for his bid on the Speakership. He will need 2018 votes in order to secure the gavel.
The Ohio congressman currently has a strained relationship with the White House as he launched an investigation into President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, in his dealing with Burma, the Ukrainian petroleum company.
He currently has the endorsement by former President Donald Trump to be the next Speaker of the House.
Jordan has been seen as a firebrand for the Republican Party along with Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Produced in association with Benzinga
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