House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) sparked widespread backlash after stating on Twitter that he has directed all GOP chairs of relevant House committees to “immediately” look into whether federal funds are being used to fund criminal investigations into Donald Trump, who could face multiple indictments in the next coming days.
“Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump,” McCarthy wrote. “I’m directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions.”
McCarthy’s tweet came after the former president took to his social media site to claim that he will be arrested in three days and urged his followers to take to the streets to protest and “take out our nation back”.
In response to McCarthy’s tweet, Historian Michael Beschloss dropped the hammer on the California Republican, calling his actions “disgraceful” during an interview with MSNBC host Jonathan Capehart.
“I’m totally with you, Jonathan, in the way that you have reacted to this almost disgraceful tweet that Kevin McCarthy has put out and I don’t use that word often to describe speakers of the House,” Beschloss began. “He is interfering with the process of the rule of law; this is a duly elected D.A. in New York who we don’t even know what’s going to happen yet or what the grand jury is going to do. But the speaker of the House has absolutely no business interfering with this process, siding with one side, Donald Trump’s side, and also saying that he is going to investigate the use of federal funds to interfere.”
“This is him talking, with our elections, in effort with what he calls, politically motivated prosecutors,” he elaborated. “It’s not his business to get involved in the legal process, and it also raises another question, Jonathan, which is as, you have said, Donald Trump has put out this statement only a few hours ago, calling on people to nationally protest his possible arrest. He is claiming he is going to be arrested.”
‘We don’t know what’s going to happen yet so, you have an ex-president calling for a protest we now know could turn into violence, as it did on the 6th of January, 2021. Hordes invaded the Capitol, we were in danger of killing the vice president, killing the speaker of the House, other members of the congress, the defiling of the House and Senate chambers'” he explained. “That’s what happened that day. But at least, as horrible as that was, you and I talked about it that day, at least you had a speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, where we could be sure that she would do her best to try to protect the Capitol against violent attack. After this statement by Kevin McCarthy, we have no such reassurance.”
Watch the interview and read other reactions to McCarthy’s tweet below:
Here’s McCarthy’s tweet:
Here we go again — an outrageous abuse of power by a radical DA who lets violent criminals walk as he pursues political vengeance against President Trump.
I’m directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by… https://t.co/elpbh7LeWn
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) March 18, 2023
To Kevin McCarthy, Donald Trump and GOP criminals are above the law. They are not.
— (((DeanObeidallah))) (@DeanObeidallah) March 18, 2023
Surprised you have cell service from inside of Trump's colon.
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) March 18, 2023
Just checking, Mr. Speaker: how does this align with your level of support for the January 6th Committee’s investigation of the subversion of democracy?
Because if it doesn’t, that’s blatant hypocrisy and partisanship, not support of democracy.
— Scott Monty (@ScottMonty) March 18, 2023
I’m old enough to remember when you stood on the House floor & blamed Donald Trump for January 6th & then immediately went to Mar-a-Lago to get on your knees to beg him for forgiveness
You chose Trump over America & now he’s taking you down along with him, #WeakerSpeaker pic.twitter.com/uhLkfHvMPq
— Tara Dublin (@taradublinrocks) March 18, 2023
ahhh, federal congress investing county prosecutors to see if they're being mean to Trump. Got it.
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) March 18, 2023
“I’m directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used”
=
Defund the police when the police investigate Trump.
— Will Saletan (@saletan) March 18, 2023
Predictably pathetic.
— Michael Salfino (@MichaelSalfino) March 18, 2023
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