Michael Colletti
Chuck DarwinFormer speaker McCarthy has spent much of his time, energy and money since leaving Congress in a bid to defeat the Republicans who cost him his gavel — and his political career
During the awkward interludeafter he was ousted from the speakership but before he resigned from Congress, #Kevin #McCarthy found himself standing on the House floor one afternoon next to Representative #Bob #Good of Virginia, ◻️one of the eight Republicans who had voted to remove him from power.◻️
🔶“I just traveled to your district,” Mr. McCarthy, still raw over his political downfall, said in what was interpreted as a vaguely threatening tone. “It’s a really nice district.”
🔷“Why don’t you come down and spend money there?” Mr. Good, the chairman of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, taunted Mr. McCarthy in response.
🔶“Oh, I’m going to,” Mr. McCarthy shot back. “I might spend $5 million there, too.”
In this instance, Mr. McCarthy was as good as his word.
🔴In the months that followed, he helped direct more than $6 million into the race to defeat Mr. Good,
who is now fighting to hang on to his seat after coming up 375 votes short in his recent primary against a Trump-backed challenger, John J. #McGuire.
(Mr. Good’s campaign is paying for a recount, and he is claiming there was “inappropriate activity” at ballot drop boxes in Lynchburg, the district’s biggest city.)
Mr. McCarthy’s campaign to bring down Mr. Good was just one part of an ⭐️elaborate and expensive campaign of revenge ⭐️he has mounted since leaving Congress, one designed to ruin the Republicans he holds responsible for his demise.
“Bob Good was defeated, but the loser just can’t accept it yet,” said Brian O. #Walsh, a top McCarthy ally who is coordinating the former speaker’s efforts to unseat the so-called “Crazy Eight” Republicans who crossed him.
Mr. McCarthy spent more than $4 million in an unsuccessful bid to defeat Representative Nancy #Mace of South Carolina in her primary last month, and his allies are now promoting ethics allegations against her in hopes of making her unelectable in the future.
He and his allies are backing a challenger to Representative Eli #Crane of Arizona, the sole first-term Republican who voted to remove Mr. McCarthy, who faces a primary in August.
And Mr. McCarthy is going after Representative Matt #Gaetz of Florida, his chief tormentor and the ringleader of the push to depose him, pushing accusations that Mr. Gaetz had sex with an underage girl.
Representative Matt #Rosendale of Montana, another of the Republicans who voted to oust the former speaker, abruptly dropped his re-election bid in March after rampant rumors circulated that he had an affair with a staff member.
Mr. Walsh declined to comment on whether Mr. McCarthy and those in his orbit had anything to do with that decision. But Mr. Rosendale’s decision saved them millions of dollars.
faraiwe
Mary Ann Horn
L'Osservatorio - Esteri
Democracy Matters 
