To Speaker Mccarthy, loyalty trumps integrity

Recently, House Speaker Kevin Mccarthy said he would block Democratic Rep. Adam B. Schiff and Rep. Eric Swalwell from serving on the House Intelligence Committee because they are “unfit” to serve on the committee. With a straight face, he added, “This is not anything political. But integrity matters.’’

Mccarthy would have us believe that he is the champion of “integrity” in politics. Where was his integrity when it came to Liz Cheney and George Santos?

Cheney represented Wyoming's at-large congressional district. In that position, she compiled a solid conservative voting record, supporting former President Donald Trump’s policies about 93 percent of the time. Then Cheney did the unforgivable. On Jan. 13, 2021, she and nine other House Republicans joined Democrats who voted to impeach Trump for his role in the Capitol riot. Cheney’s integrity resulted in a severe backlash from her party. In May 2021, she was ousted as the House Republican Conference chair when Mccarthy threw his support behind Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Trump supporter and election denier. Cheney was thrown under the bus by Mccarthy, Mr. Integrity.

In contrast, Mccarthy continues to back Rep. George Santos of New York’s 3rd Congressional District, who was exposed as a pathological liar of monumental proportions. Although Nassau County Republicans have called on Santos to resign, Mccarthy has been quiet about Santos and his many lies.

Why? It would seem it’s because Mccarthy understands that the Republican majority in the House is quite tenuous and he does not want to risk losing even one member. In this context, Mccarthy knows that he can count on Santos, who voted for him in each of the 15 ballots for House speaker.

It is clear that to Mccarthy, the value of integrity comes in as a distant second compared to loyalty.

Don Steiner