Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade was caught on a hot mic calling Nebraska Representative Don Bacon a “dumbass” for voting for former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy as Congress conducted a floor vote to select a new Speaker.
During Tuesday’s House vote, Rep. Bacon became the first Republican to defect from supporting Ohio Representative Jim Jordan’s bid for Speaker. Bacon opted to support former Speaker McCarthy, who endorsed Jordan.
After a brief moment of silence, Kilmeade is heard saying, “dumbass” in reference to Bacon’s vote.
Jordan, who received the GOP nomination for Speaker of the House late last week, failed to secure Speakership on the first ballot conducted on the House floor on Tuesday.
Of the twenty House Republicans who voted against the Speaker designee in the first round, six votes were cast for former Speaker McCarthy and seven votes were given to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who initially secured the GOP nomination for Speaker though withdrew his candidacy shortly after. Another three votes were cast for former New York State Representative Lee Zeldin, among other alternative votes.
The final floor vote resulted in 200 votes for Jordan and 212 votes for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Fox's Brian Kilmeade caught on a hot mic calling Rep. Don Bacon a "dumbass" for voting McCarthy. pic.twitter.com/0dgKhUZiUh
— nikki mccann ramírez (@NikkiMcR) October 17, 2023
In January, McCarthy’s Speaker vote ran a historical 15 rounds of ballots before the then-House Majority Leader secured Speakership.
Earlier this month, McCarthy was removed as Speaker of the House after Florida Representative Matt Gaetz spearheaded an effort to vacate the seat. McCarthy is the first Speaker to be removed from the seat in U.S. history.
Several House Republicans who initially opposed a Jordan Speakership reversed their decision on Monday, including Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers, Missouri Rep. Ann Wagner, Georgia Rep. Drew Ferguson, and Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan.
“If he’s gonna lead this conference during a presidential election cycle, particularly a presidential election year with primaries and caucuses around the country, he’s gonna have to be strong and say Donald Trump didn’t win the election,” Buck said on Monday night while speaking to a group of reporters.
A second-floor vote will reportedly be held at 11 a.m. tomorrow.
