October 3, 2023 - Kevin McCarthy ousted as Speaker of the House
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October 3, 2023 - Kevin McCarthy ousted as Speaker of the House

By Aditi Sangal, Adrienne Vogt, Elise Hammond, Maureen Chowdhury and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 4:34 p.m. ET, October 4, 2023
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11:01 p.m. ET, October 3, 2023

Gaetz denies he moved against McCarthy over not tamping down ethics investigation

From CNN's Kristin Wilson 

Rep. Matt Gaetz denied former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s assertion that he moved against him for not helping tamp down an ethics investigation.

“That's totally false," Gaetz told Fox News on Tuesday night.
"I’m the most investigated man in the entire United States Congress,” he said, adding he’d been cleared by several law enforcement agencies.

He insisted his move against McCarthy was due to his job performance. Gaetz also pushed back on McCarthy suggesting the eight who voted against him are not conservatives.

Gaetz also defended fundraising off of the vote today, saying he was the only Republican member of Congress who rejected money from PACs and lobbyists.

"The only way I'm able to advance my political goals is just regular folks give me 10, 20, $30. So I will take no lecture from the likes of people who do three lobbyist fundraisers a day and trade favors in order to get cash from special interest on how I raise money.”

10:50 p.m. ET, October 3, 2023

McCarthy tells House Republicans he will not run again for speaker, GOP lawmaker says

From CNN's Haley Talbot, Melanie Zanona, Annie Grayer, Kristin Wilson, Sam Fossum and Manu Raju

Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy is surrounded by staff, security and journalists as he walks through Statuary Hall after he was ousted at the Capitol on October 3, in Washington, DC.
Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy is surrounded by staff, security and journalists as he walks through Statuary Hall after he was ousted at the Capitol on October 3, in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Kevin McCarthy told fellow House Republicans he will not run again for speaker, according to a GOP lawmaker.

A GOP conference meeting ended "abruptly" after McCarthy made the announcement, according to Rep. Ralph Norman.

"He’s not running,” Norman said. “He just said he’s not running.”

The room was “stunned,” he told CNN's Manu Raju.

"He wished everybody well," Norman added. 

9:33 p.m. ET, October 3, 2023

A McCarthy ally is now interim speaker. Here's what we know about Patrick McHenry

From CNN's Jack Forrest

McHenry walks to a meeting of the House Republican Conference after former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was voted out , on Tuesday, October 3.
McHenry walks to a meeting of the House Republican Conference after former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was voted out , on Tuesday, October 3. J. Scott Applewhite/AP

The congressman temporarily leading the House of Representatives as interim speaker is a top ally of Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted Tuesday from the speaker’s chair.

Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina became the speaker pro tempore and will preside over the vote and selection of the chamber’s next speaker after eight Republicans led by GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz joined Democrats in voting to remove McCarthy from the position.

As speaker pro tempore, the Republican can only recess the House, adjourn the chamber and recognize speaker nominations.

McHenry, a strong ally of McCarthy’s, played a key role in successfully negotiating the California Republican’s speakership in January by chipping away at some of the same hardline conservatives that opposed McCarthy’s leadership on Tuesday.

Under McCarthy, McHenry was also deployed as a top negotiator for House Republicans in securing an agreement with the White House to prevent the US from defaulting for the first time in history.

Born in Gastonia, North Carolina, McHenry received a bachelor’s degree in history from Belmont Abbey College and started his career in politics in 1998 after launching a failed bid for the North Carolina state House of Representatives.

Following his work on George W. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign, he was appointed special assistant to the labor secretary in 2001, according to his congressional bio. McHenry was elected to the state House in 2002. In 2004, at age 29, he was elected to Congress, becoming one of the youngest lawmakers at that time. He won his 10th term last November.

Read more about McHenry

9:10 p.m. ET, October 3, 2023

Here are the Republicans who may be asked or are mulling run for speaker

From CNN's Melanie Zanona, Annie Grayer and Manu Raju

After the ouster of Kevin McCarthy, here are the Republicans who are considering running for speaker or who are being courted to run.

The candidate forum for GOP members to make their case is on Tuesday. 

  • House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, the No. 2 Republican, has started reaching out to members about a potential speakership bid, per source familiar. Scalise, who has blood cancer, told CNN “I feel great” when asked if he would feel up for the job. 
  • Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern has “been approached by multiple members and is taking it very seriously,” a source familiar told CNN. Hern is the chairman of the largest conservative group in the House. 
  •  House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan is being encouraged by conservative Republicans to run for speaker, and he is open to doing so, a GOP lawmaker — someone who would like to see Jordan as speaker — told CNN. Jordan, who has consistently ruled out running for speaker, seems to have kept open the option. “It’s a conference decision,” he told CNN.
  • House Majority Whip Tom Emmer is someone members have also floated as a top contender for the job. Emmer, meanwhile, is at least publicly throwing his support behind Scalise: “Steve Scalise has been a friend for a long time. He would be a great speaker,” he told reporters.
4:34 p.m. ET, October 4, 2023

Pelosi says interim speaker McHenry has ordered her to vacate her office in the Capitol building

From CNN's Haley Talbot and Dana Bash

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said interim speaker, GOP Rep. Patrick McHenry, has ordered her to vacate her office in the Capitol building.

She maintains her regular office in the Longworth House building.

CNN viewed an email that was sent just after 6 p.m. ET from McHenry’s office to Pelosi’s office:

“Going to reassign h-132 for speaker office use. Please vacate the space tomorrow.”

"Sadly, because I am in California to mourn the loss of and pay tribute to my dear friend Dianne Feinstein, I am unable to retrieve my belongings at this time,” Pelosi said in a statement, referring to the California senator who died last week. 

She added:

“This eviction is a sharp departure from tradition. As Speaker, I gave former Speaker Hastert a significantly larger suite of offices for as long as he wished,” she said. “Office space doesn’t matter to me, but it seems to be important to them. Now that the new Republican Leadership has settled this important matter, let’s hope they get to work on what’s truly important for the American people.”

CNN has reached out to McHenry.

Correction: This post has been updated to correctly identify Pelosi’s office is in the Longworth House office building.

8:16 p.m. ET, October 3, 2023

McCarthy says he did not make a side deal on Ukraine supplemental aid

During a news conference Tuesday, Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy said he did not make a deal with the White House on supplemental aid for Ukraine.

"Look, I support arming Ukraine. That doesn't mean sending them cash, but arming Ukraine. But I have been on the White House even before they sent the supplemental, I said, 'You guys are doing it all wrong by just sending this as a supplemental.' And I think the president is failing here because he's not telling the American public what is the mission," McCarthy said.

The latest funding bill to avoid a federal government shutdown lacks additional funding for Ukraine. 

8:16 p.m. ET, October 3, 2023

“I personally like Tim Burchett": McCarthy says he never meant to offend lawmaker's religion

Rep. Kevin McCarthy said he did not mean to offend Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett when he called him and referenced a remark Burchett made about praying.

Burchett was one of the eight GOP lawmakers who voted to remove McCarthy from the speakership on Tuesday. He said he was going to vote “yes” on the motion to vacate because McCarthy was condescending about his statement that he was praying about what to do on this issue. 

"When I make a statement that I’m praying about it, I am praying about it, and when I get a call from the speaker and he belittles that, to me, that shows another reason why we need a change in leadership,” Burchett told reporters on the way to the House floor Tuesday.

McCarthy said was surprised and called Burchett a friend at a news conference.

“I personally like Tim Burchett,” McCarthy said.

“I simply read his quote back. I thought there was still an opening and I wanted the talk to him about it. He never mentioned anything when we were communicating like that,” he said, adding that he, too, is a Christian.
7:55 p.m. ET, October 3, 2023

McCarthy has not thought about resigning after losing speakership vote

Kevin McCarthy said he has not thought about resigning after being voted out of his speakership on Tuesday.

He said he knew becoming Speaker of the House would be challenging, especially after making concessions that allowed one member to bring a motion to vacate him from the post.

“But, you know what, if I lose my job over doing what I truly believe is right, I’m very at peace with it,” McCarthy said.

Referring to relying on some Democratic cooperation to pass a stopgap measure to keep the government open for 45 days over the weekend, McCarthy said “I know they would make a motion on me.”

“It didn’t make one bit of difference,” McCarthy said. “I felt very comfortable in that decision and I think the American public believe that decision was right.”
7:58 p.m. ET, October 3, 2023

"You know it was personal," McCarthy says on Gaetz leading the charge on his removal as speaker

Rep. Matt Gaetz answers questions outside the US Capitol after successfully leading a vote to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy from the office of Speaker of the House on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.
Rep. Matt Gaetz answers questions outside the US Capitol after successfully leading a vote to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy from the office of Speaker of the House on Tuesday, October 3, 2023. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy said that Rep. Matt Gaetz leading the charge to remove him as House Speaker was personal.

"Look, you all know Matt Gaetz. You know it was personal," McCarthy said during a news conference on Tuesday following his ousting.  

"It had nothing to do about spending. It had nothing to do about — everything he accused somebody of, he was doing. It all was about getting attention from you," McCarthy said.

McCarthy went on to criticize Gaetz for fundraising off of the speakership vote: "I mean, we're getting email fundraisers from him as he's doing it. 'Join in quickly.' That's not governing. That's not becoming of a member of Congress. And regardless of what you think, I've seen the texts, it was all about his ethics."