Democrat Jamie Raskin, of RussiaGate and impeachment fame, is warning his House colleagues that the GOP could move to nominate former President Donald Trump as the next Speaker should Republicans ultimately prevail in taking back the House.
Raskin suggested the idea has been brought up “repeatedly” in the Republican caucus during an appearance with “Face the Nation” Sunday.
He made the comments after being presented with a CBS report which claims roughly 155 Republican House members who won their races this past week are so-called ‘election deniers.’
“That’s a statement about the political contamination of the GOP by Donald Trump,” said Raskin, who objected to the electoral vote count during the 2016 election, making him by media definition an ‘election denier.’
Raskin continued, arguing that “[House Minority Leader] Kevin McCarthy and other leaders within the Republican Party are now required to make a decision about whether they’re going to try to rid themselves of Donald Trump and his toxic influence on the party.”
“One potential candidate whose name has been floated is Donald Trump himself, because the Speaker of the House does not have to be a member of the House,” Raskin then claimed.
“And they are talking about putting Trump right there.”
Jaime Raskin is worried Trump could become Speaker of the House 😂
“One potential candidate who’s name has been floated is Donald Trump himself because the Speaker of the House does not have to be a member of the House.”
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 13, 2022
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RELATED: Report: ‘Knives Are Out’ For Kevin McCarthy After GOP’s Lackluster Midterm Performance
Could Trump Really Be the Next Speaker of the House?
CBS host Margaret Brennan wasn’t buying into Raskin’s paranoia that Trump could become the next Speaker of the House.
“That’s not a real option, though,” she replied.
But to Raskin, it’s as real as the threat of the next insurrection and the fall of democracy, by God.
“They talk about it repeatedly,” Raskin claimed. “And if Trump decided he wanted to do it, it would pose a profound problem for their party because they refuse to do the right thing.”
Democrat @jamie_raskin signals trouble for Kevin McCarthy: GOP defectors are talking about voting Trump for House speaker https://t.co/MsDTftl1LF
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) November 13, 2022
RELATED: Gaetz Says He Will Move To Nominate Trump As Next House Speaker If GOP Wins In 2022
Raskin’s Claim is a Bit Far-Fetched
Despite Raskin’s claim, there is scant evidence of Republicans talking about making Trump the next Speaker of the House. And there is no evidence they are stating that intention “repeatedly.”
So Brennan was right to challenge the January 6 committee member.
The only evidence I can locate of such a claim was back in December of 2021 when MAGA Representative Matt Gaetz suggested he would nominate Trump if Republicans were to win back the House.
Further, we know that the GOP is afraid of their own shadow, and would never do something as amazing as nominating Trump for Speaker.
Reporter: Do you want ex-President Trump to be speaker?
Gaetz: I would
Reporter: Have you talked to him about it?
Gaetz: I have pic.twitter.com/BfAzAuaWgT— Acyn (@Acyn) December 7, 2021
Gaetz tends to state things that are sure to send leftists and the media over the edge sometimes.
While the move is possible, it seems rather unlikely that former President Trump would have any interest in filling the role currently held by Nancy Pelosi.
The position has never been filled by anyone outside the chamber, though the Constitution does not specifically state that the Speaker must be a House member. Anyone chosen by the House can serve as Speaker.
A representative for Trump has said he has “zero desire” to be named Speaker despite previous comments suggesting he’d look into it.
I tell you what #SpeakerTrump would be the most comical and entertaining thing that would ever happen to this country! https://t.co/MwP6HwyL8O
— Ars (@iAl57) November 14, 2022
While it is still possible for the GOP to gain control of the House when all of the slowest states catch up on their vote discovery counting, McCarthy’s grip on becoming House Speaker has become tenuous due to the lesser-than-expected margin Republicans will have.
The Political Insider reported last week that the “knives are out” for McCarthy following his party’s lackluster performance in the midterms.
The fact that Raskin took such a notion to mean that Trump could be installed as the House speaker shows two things – Democrats are obsessed with using the former President as a boogeyman because it worked in the last election cycle, and he continues to live rent free in their heads.
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