This year started pretty well for Kevin McCarthy. The California congressman became the Speaker of the House after Republicans took back control of the House. He wasn't there long, though. McCarthy was bounced from the office thanks to some rogue Republicans.
And McCarthy is seemingly over his career in politics. He recently announced that he is leaving office before his term comes to an end and will not be running in 2024. Jen Psaki, the former Press Secretary for Joe Biden, wrote a column for MSNBC detailing McCarthy's career.
Psaki began by noting that McCarthy said in a speech this week, "If you come across that question of whether you should do what’s right out of fear of losing your job, do it anyways. Because it’s the right thing to do, and this is what the nation requires. ... I would do it all again."
The now MSNBC personality asked, "Why was he doing all of this? Well, because he was desperate to hold on to power. He wanted to be the leader of the Republican House, and eventually the speaker. At the end of all of that, his soul-selling did get him the job. But it took an embarrassing 15 rounds of votes, and he was only able to hold on to it for 269 days."
Paski continued:
"So, what is the McCarthy imprint on the speakership? Simply put, he made clear it can be bought and paid for, even by people who have played a role in attempting to overturn the very branch of government he is leading."
You can read the column in its entirety here