Ben Carson thinks Kevin McCarthy made the right call in dropping his bid to replace House Speaker John Boehner.
In an appearance on CNN moments after McCarthy announced his jaw-dropping decision, Carson praised the House majority leader, telling Wolf Blitzer that it was a “very unselfish move,” something he says is unusual in Washington.
“I say kudos to Rep. McCarthy for putting others before himself,” Carson said. “This is not something we see very often in Washington, and I hope it’s a trait that will be emulated by others as time goes on because, you know, we have a lot of problems that have to be solved, and none of us should put ourselves ahead of those problems.”
“I hope that this will open the process and that even more names will be thrown in, and that they will all have an opportunity to express their vision for the country, and how their leadership style will be manifested, and then allow the members to vote,” Carson told the host.
When asked if he preferred a candidate from the Republican establishment or the Tea Party side of the GOP caucus, Carson said that, rather, he is for someone on the “logical wing.”
“I’m for the logical wing, for the people who want to do the things that will solve the problems in this country, and I don’t really care which side of the aisle they come from,” Carson said, adding that he would “absolutely” support both Rep. Jason Chaffetz and Rep. Daniel Webster, who have both announced runs for the post.
The former neurosurgeon, who sits second in the Washington Examiner‘s latest power rankings, also said that he will discuss other candidates for the speakership as they throw their hats into the ring — including Rep. Paul Ryan, who said soon after McCarthy’s announcement that he would not be seeking the post.
“It’s a very unselfish move and done for the right reasons,” Carson added.
