Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., told Newsmax on Wednesday a new, private House Republican conference meeting likely will have to be held before a vote on the next speaker reaches the floor.
Cline told "The Record with Greta Van Susteren" a floor vote scheduled for later in the day was put off because of at least seven conference holdouts.
Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana defeated Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan of Ohio for the conference's backing in a secret ballot vote, 113-99.
"There will likely be another Republican conference to have a conversation about whether Scalise remains the nominee or whether we have to go back to the drawing board," Cline said.
"But the Republican majority needs to elect a speaker so that we can take action to support Israel and take action to make sure that Israel can defend its territory against ... these dastardly attacks by Hamas."
Cline also revealed he cast his vote in the secret ballot for Jordan.
Although Jordan signaled his support for Scalise to replace Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. — ousted as speaker in a historic move last week — some of the Ohio lawmaker's allies are still standing firm.
Among them are Reps. Max Miller of Ohio, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Troy Nehls of Texas, Chip Roy of Texas, Michael Cloud of Texas, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
Rep. Carlos A. Giménez, R-Fla., has also indicated that he does not plan on voting for someone other than McCarthy unless the former speaker directly tells him not to.
Calls for a quick turnaround in the speaker fight have increased since the Hamas terrorist attack Saturday against Israel from Hamas, a proxy of Iran.
More than 1,000 Israelis were killed in the attack, including at least 22 Americans.
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Luca Cacciatore ✉
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
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