Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., who's set to become the House Republicans' chief deputy whip when a new Congress convenes next month, finds it "laughable" that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is being compared to John Boehner and Paul Ryan — former House speakers on the GOP side.
"Kevin McCarthy is a [real] conservative," Reschenthaler told Newsmax on Wednesday evening, while appearing on "Rob Schmitt Tonight."
"It's patently unfair to put [McCarthy] in the category of Boehner or Ryan," added Reschenthaler, who referred to that pairing as "RINOs," a euphemism for Republicans in name only.
A few weeks ago, McCarthy reportedly fell five votes short of securing the House speaker post within the Republican-controlled Congress; and with Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., publicly challenging McCarthy's candidacy, Reschenthaler worries this move could lead to unintended consequences among the GOP leaders.
"'The five saboteurs' ... who won't vote for McCarthy now have something in common with Democrats on the other side of the aisle," said Reschenthaler.
The Pennsylvania Republican then said, "Someone like [outgoing Rep.] Liz Cheney or [outgoing Rep.] Adam Kinzinger could become the speaker. ... Remember, you don't have to be elected into the House to be speaker. That's the risk we're facing."
Reschenthaler continued: "I like Andy Biggs," but he "only received 31 of 232" potential votes in the House speaker election, said Reschenthaler. "This is laughable. He's not going to have enough votes to be speaker."
In addition to being an authentic conservative leader, McCarthy is also the Republican Party's most prolific fundraiser and best recruiter, according to Reschenthaler.
"House Republicans are more conservative than ever," said Reschenthaler, a subjective opinion that coincides with former President Donald Trump's political ascension over the past six years.
Unlike previous years, "our party more resembles the priorities of Trump," added Reschenthaler.
Trump supports McCarthy's speaker candidacy, and that's good enough for Reschenthaler and other House conservatives.
"It's baseless to lump McCarthy in with Boehner or Ryan. It's sheer fantasy that a hard-line Republican would get the [speaker] gavel," said Reschenthaler. "It's a dangerous game we're playing."
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