POISON PEN

9 Right-Wing House Members Hit McCarthy Before Speaker Vote

A letter notes that he’s made concessions but says it’s not enough.

Nine right-wing House members put out a letter Sunday night that acknowledged the concessions that Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has made in his quest for the speakership but made clear they don’t think he has gone far enough. “Thus far, there continue to be missing specific commitments with respect to virtually every component of our entreaties, and thus, no means to measure whether promises are kept or broken,” the letter reads. The critique came after McCarthy held a conference call in which, CNN reported, he said he had agreed to a rule allowing just five people to trigger a vote to replace the speaker—which GOP moderates oppose. McCarthy told his members he does not know if he has the votes to secure the speakership on Tuesday despite his attempts to placate the hardliners.