Kevin McCarthy hints revenge against House Republican who helped oust him

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in an interview with Politico released Friday hinted at the possibility of enacting vengeance on a GOP tormenter who helped end his tenure as House speaker.

McCarthy replied with sarcasm when Politico asked about news that Virginia state Sen. John McGuire, a former Navy SEAL, might run against Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), one of eight Republicans who voted in approval of his ouster.

“Really? I'm shocked,” McCarthy said of the potential primary challenger. “You mean the military guy? I heard something about him.”

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When Politico asked if McCarthy might return the ousting favor and involve himself in the race, the former speaker said he didn't know what he'd do with his newfound freedom.

"Prior to being the speaker, I couldn't get engaged in races," McCarthy said. "But I'm a free agent now."

McCarthy's ouster as speaker led to three months of chaos in the Republican conference, which tried to get through Reps. Steve Scalise (R-LA), Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Tom Emmer (R-MN) as speaker before finally settling on current House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).