Meet The Acting Speaker of the House

Meet the Acting Speaker of the House, Patrick McHenry.

McCarthy is out, McHenry is in, at least for now.

Watch his first official act of business as he angrily slams down the gavel:

JUST IN – Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry angrily gavels the House in recess after Kevin McCarthy's removal as speaker pic.twitter.com/Pf1dHLfI4P

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) October 3, 2023

Oh what a big tough man he is!

Looks kind of like a “dandy” to me, but we will see.

McHenry was chosen from a list of five names designed by McCarthy himself, so he’s definitely part of the “Swamp”:

If McCarthy is ousted, an acting Speaker would be appointed — chosen from a list of five names designated by McCarthy and shared with the House clerk, in a process implemented for continuity of government reasons after 9/11.

Follow live: https://t.co/q3uAlaHKyd pic.twitter.com/vQcJlokvCD

— The Hill (@thehill) October 3, 2023

Here’s more from Politico:

Rep. Patrick McHenry is now the acting speaker, the House Clerk announced after Kevin McCarthy was stripped of the gavel in a historic House vote.

The speaker pro tempore is imbued with all the powers of an elected speaker of the House. McCarthy hand-picked McHenry (R-N.C.) for this role when he was elected speaker in January. The pro tempore is kept as a secret, held by the clerk of the House, until a speaker is removed or incapacitated, a process designed after Sept. 11, 2001, to ensure continuity of government.

Rep. Patrick McHenry is now the acting speaker.

McCarthy hand-picked McHenry (R-N.C.) for this role when he was elected speaker. The pro tempore is kept as a secret, held by the clerk of the House, until a speaker is removed or incapacitatedhttps://t.co/REjAeSBh1o

— POLITICO (@politico) October 3, 2023

Gaetz sparred with McHenry earlier in the day:

.@RepMattGaetz Responds To Rep. Patrick McHenry's Claim That Speaker McCarthy's Debt Limit Deal Was A "Conservative" Victory

"It is lovely to hear from the principal architect of Mr. McCarthy's Debt Limit Deal, but here is the reality. The only Republicans in America who believe… pic.twitter.com/MQ3QVtEteQ

— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) October 3, 2023

More from the NY Post:

Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy has been voted out of his Speaker of the House role in a move prompted by Rep. Matt Gaetz.

Rep. Patrick McHenry is now serving as the temporary speaker because he was at the top of McCarthy’s secret list of successors.

The South Carolina Republican notably helped negotiate the controversial debt limit deal in May that rankled GOP hardliners.

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Eight House Republicans ultimately voted to pry the speaker’s gavel away from Kevin McCarthy.

This includes: Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Bob Good (R-Virg.), Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), Ken Buck (R-Col.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Matt Rosendale (R-Mt.), Nancy Mace (R-SC), and Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.)

They were joined by all Democrats in the 216 to 210 vote.

Notably three Republicans — Reps. Warren Davidson (R-Oh.), Cory Mills (R-Fla.), and Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) — initially voted against tabling the motion to vacate the chair, but then voted against it when it was up for a vote.