Rep. Richard Hudson, RN.C., left, withdraws Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., as they speak with Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and others during the 14th round of voting for Speaker As The House of Representatives meets on Day Four to attempt to elect a Speaker and convene the 118th Congress on Friday, January 6, 2023 in Washington.
AP
Rep. Richard Hudson stopped a confrontation in the US House of Representatives late Friday between two colleagues, Matt Gaetz, and an ally of Kevin McCarthy.
McCarthy, a California Republican, entered the chamber at 10:00 p.m. believing he had the votes to become the next House Speaker. Four days and 13 votes had passed since the House of Representatives met to select its supreme leader.
But things quickly took a turn.
Both Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican, and Gaetz, a Florida Republican, voted “present” rather than casting a vote for one of two nominees — McCarthy or Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York — or to choose someone else.
Her election meant McCarthy did not have enough votes to win speakership on the 14th vote.
Rep. Patrick McHenry, a Republican from North Carolina, and McCarthy stood nearby and talked to them. Several lawmakers rallied around her as tensions rose and it became clear that McCarthy would not receive enough votes.
Representative Mike Rogers, a Republican from Alabama, approached the group from the back of the room, followed by Hudson, a Republican from North Carolina.
Rogers leaned into Gaetz’s row, began to speak, and held out his hand to the Florida Republican.
Hudson grabbed Rogers by the shoulder and then by the face – and yanked him to the back of the chamber and off the floor of the house.
McCarthy was walking to the front of the room when someone shouted, “Let’s do it again!”
Neither Boebert nor Gaetz changed their vote, forcing the House to a 15th vote to select a speaker.
This vote allowed McCarthy to finally secure enough votes to become Speaker, causing the chamber to erupt in cheers.
The House could not swear in its members until a speaker was chosen.
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This story was originally published January 7, 2023 12:11 am.