When California Representative Kevin McCarthy finally earned the speaker’s gavel earlier this month after an unprecedented 15 rounds of votes on the House floor, it required a slew of backdoor deals. McCarthy was tight-lipped about all the concessions he had to make to win. But now with his doling out of all-important committee assignments, the details of that horse-trading are rapidly coming into view.
The hotly contested assignments involve two of the most radioactive Republicans on Capitol Hill. New York Representative George Santos has been tapped for the House small business and science committees, and Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene for the House homeland security committee. Both backed McCarthy’s speaker bid from the outset. But there’s plenty of speculation that their support hinged on receiving choice appointments.
The selections are most striking for what they symbolise. Santos has been accused of lying about nearly every aspect of his résumé, including his past business experience. Greene has likewise found herself embroiled in controversy after controversy related to national security. As one journalist observed, McCarthy’s picks of Santos and Greene seem designed for “(depending on your viewpoint) maximum irony or maximum trolling”.
