WASHINGTON, D.C. (KERO) — Since the riots on Capitol Hill, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, of Bakersfield, has taken some heat from the national media for questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 election.
Leader McCarthy publicly condemned the riots several times. But the backlash is coming after he voted to overturn the election after capitol hill was stormed. Many say unsubstantiated claims of election fraud are what helped fire up the rioters.
“Not only did the president continue to lie about these things, but McCarthy helped and supported that as a very close ally of the president,” said Allen Bolar, political science professor at Bakersfield College.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was one of over 140 members of Congress to object to finalizing Joe Biden's win in the electoral college. McCarthy released a statement the day after.
“I agreed with objections that were made to two states, especially because constitutional questions have been raised about changes to election processes and whether these changes were approved by their respective legislatures, as required in Article II.”
He went on to say that his objection was not about overturning an election but instead ensuring that Americans who voted can have confidence in the system.
Since the capitol hill riots, McCarthy has attracted some negative attention from national media.
“House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, breathing life into the conspiracy theory that this was a false flag operation. Leftists, pretending to storm the capitol,” said Brianna Keilar, CNN.
And late-night TV alike.
“Over in the House, I think this fella is Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy who might be the most self-serving, amoral person in the house of representatives unless he’s home right now,” said Steven Colbert, CBS.
And the Lincoln Project, a political action committee founded by Republicans, aimed at preventing the reelection of Donald Trump, released an ad this morning saying “There’s chaos in Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's office. His staff is threatening to revoke, quit in mass.”
We reached out to McCarthy's office this morning to ask if staff members are considering resigning, they say the ad is completely false and the congressman’s team couldn't be prouder of the work he has done for the community.
Mccarthy said after Biden's victory was confirmed Thursday, that “Congress fulfilled its constitutional duty, and Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States.”
“So he's calling Biden President-elect, he's talking about the transition of power, he's talking about bringing people together, these are things he should have said two months ago,” added Bolar.
McCarthy said in a statement released Friday that he’s"...reached out to President-elect Biden today and plan to speak to him about how we must work together to lower the temperature and unite the country to solve America's challenges.”
McCarthy also said in his statement Friday, that he does not support removing the president with just 12 days left in office. He says he believes that it would only divide the country more.