Rep. Jim McGovern (D- MA) has nothing positive to say about House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) after he voiced his opposition to a commission to investigate the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
CNN’s Erin Burnett asked McGovern on Tuesday night why he thinks McCarthy opposes the commission.
McGovern replied, “I’ve concluded that Kevin McCarthy is a weak and cowardly individual whose afraid of Donald Trump. I wouldn’t be surprised if Donald Trump told him to try and kill this.”
Pointing out the deal on the commission was bipartisan, McGovern explained, “All the things that Kevin McCarthy wanted have been included in this compromise and yet to everybody’s surprise… he came out today and said he was against it. I think the only reasonable conclusion is that he’s afraid of Donald Trump.”
He also claimed McCarthy “doesn’t want to offend him, doesn’t want to get disinvited to Mar-a-Lago, but it is sad and it is pathetic, and getting to the truth matters here.”
Watch his comments below:
"I've concluded that Kevin McCarthy is a weak and cowardly individual who's afraid of Donald Trump," says Rep. Jim McGovern on the House Minority Leader's opposition to the Jan. 6 commission.
— Erin Burnett OutFront (@OutFrontCNN) May 19, 2021
"It is incredibly sad… his opposition to this has nothing to do with policy." pic.twitter.com/NAvn09854n
McGovern acknowledged Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) for standing up for the commission and not “buying into the big lie.”
“In return Kevin McCarthy threw her into oncoming traffic. He cancelled her,” McGovern said.
McCarthy wrote in a statement on Tuesday, “Given the political misdirections that have marred this process, given the now duplicative and potentially counterproductive nature of this effort, and given the Speaker’s shortsighted scope that does not examine interrelated forms of political violence in America, I cannot support this legislation.”
During an interview that aired on Sunday, Cheney told ABC News McCarthy should “absolutely” testify before the commission.
She continued, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he were subpoenaed. I think he very clearly and said publicly that he’s got information about the president’s state of mind that day. The elements of that commission are exactly as they should be.”