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'Could barely get a word in': House rebels were bullied by Trump in expletive-filled calls
The Speaker Who Was Never on the BallotTrump Was the Real EnforcerKevin McCarthy’s 2023 fight for the speakership was not a contest of principle. It was a pressure campaign led by Donald Trump, who weaponized his standing inside the Republican Party to force reluctant lawmakers into line. According to the reporting, Trump screamed profanities at Rep. Andy Biggs, threatened Rep. Eli Crane with a primary challenger, and turned McCarthy’s leadership survival into a loyalty test administered from outside the chamber.That is the political fact pattern here: McCarthy was not consolidating…
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