House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy slammed the contents in an upcoming book that report his criticisms of former President Donald Trump following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The California Republican labeled the reporting “totally false and wrong” on Thursday.
The New York Times report on the book — written by two of the publication’s reporters and titled This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden and the Battle for America’s Future — alleged McCarthy told other members of GOP leadership that he would call on then-President Donald Trump to resign following the deadly breach.
“’What he did is unacceptable. Nobody can defend that and nobody should defend it. I think this will pass, and it would be my recommendation you should resign,’ McCarthy reportedly planned to tell Trump,” the report said.
While McCarthy did not directly address the remarks laid out in the report, he accused the book’s authors, New York Times scribes Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin, of “doing everything it can to further a liberal agenda.” McCarthy also claimed the authors did not reach out for comment ahead of the book’s completion.
MCCARTHY SAID HE WOULD TELL TRUMP TO RESIGN AFTER CAPITOL RIOT: BOOK
”The New York Times’ reporting on me is totally false and wrong. It comes as no surprise that the corporate media is obsessed with doing everything it can to further a liberal agenda,” he said in a statement. “This promotional book tour is no different. If the reporters were interested in truth why would they ask for comment after the book was printed?”
McCarthy went on to take a swipe at both the Biden administration and the media, adding that “no amount of media ignorance and bias will stop Americans from delivering a clear message this fall that it is time for change.”
“The past year and a half have proven that our country was better off when President Trump was in the White House and rather than address the real issues facing Americans, the corporate media is more concerned with profiting from manufactured political intrigue from politically-motivated sources,” McCarthy said.
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While McCarthy has denied the New York Times reporting and repeatedly highlighted his relationship with Trump, he publicly rebuked the former president in a passionate floor speech in which he asserted that Trump “bears responsibility” in the week following the attack.
During the second impeachment proceedings, McCarthy’s alleged comments to Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, a Washington Republican, following the attack also became a central component in the trial.
While McCarthy initially criticized Trump, he realigned himself with the former president and even traveled to meet with him at Mar-a-Lago in late January 2021 as part of an effort to get his commitment to helping Republican candidates.
McCarthy is in line to become House speaker if Republicans win the majority in the midterm elections.
