Kevin McCarthy ousted as US House Speaker

A handful of Republicans in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday ousted Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as party infighting plunged Congress into further chaos just days after it narrowly averted a government shutdown. The 216-to-210 vote marked the first time in history that the House removed its leader, with eight Republicans voting with 208 Democrats to remove McCarthy. McCarthy told reporters he would not make another run for Speaker. “I fought for what I believe in,” McCarthy said. “I believe I can continue to fight, but maybe in a different manner.” The House looked set to go leaderless for at least a week, as multiple Republicans said they planned to meet on October 10 to discuss possible McCarthy successors, with a vote on a new speaker planned for October 11. Tuesday’s rebellion was led by Matt Gaetz, a far-right Republican from Florida and McCarthy antagonist who finally turned on the Speaker after he relied on Democratic votes to help pass a bill to avoid a partial government shutdown.londonGBDESK//