House minority leader Kevin McCarthy hired one of former President Trump’s top employees to lead his political operation, a source familiar with the hiring told Fox News.
Brian Jack, who was the White House’s political director in the Trump administration, will join McCarthy’s efforts to help Republicans regain the majority of the House in the 2022 elections. The hiring comes as McCarthy, R-Calif. , Is trying to assemble an extensive caucus that includes high-profile Trump prosecutors, such as Representative Matt Gaetz, from Florida, and Trump’s main detractors, as the representative of the GOP conference chair. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.
“[A]all in all – [Jack]is trusted by Trump and Kevin and has a good understanding of how important Trump’s endorsement is and how House Republicans can best use it [Trump] to help retake the majority, “a source familiar with Fox News said of the hiring.
McCarthy in recent months has upset Trump by saying initially that he was at least partly responsible for the January 6 attack on the Capitol before turning back and traveling to Trump’s resort in Mar-a-Lago to repair the fences.
White House Political Director Brian Jackon on the south lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, January 23, 2020, before boarding Marine One for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, and then Doral, Florida, for the winter meeting of the Republican National Committee. (AP Photo / Patrick Semansky)
(AP Photo / Patrick Semansky)
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He then angered many Trump allies by vocally supporting Cheney in the face of a vote to remove her as chairman of the Republican Party conference for his vote for Trump’s impeachment. However, McCarthy maintained that the Republican Party is still Trump’s party, although the former president has pledged to support the primaries’ contests against some of his members, potentially making the way for the majority more difficult for Republicans in 2022.
Hiring Jack could build an effective link between Trump’s or McCarthy’s orbit to keep the two teams playing on the same score before 2022. Fox News was informed that Jack was a key player in the Hall’s strategy meetings Oval between McCarthy and Trump that House disputes Trump should get involved in.
The hiring also highlights the different treatment of the former president by the Republican leadership of the House and by the Republican leadership of the Senate.
Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., After voting to absolve Trump of impeachment charges against him on procedural grounds, went on a media tour criticizing Trump for his post-election behavior.
“There is no doubt that former President Trump has moral responsibility,” wrote McConnell in the Wall Street Journal. “His supporters invaded the Capitol because of the unbalanced falsehoods he shouted in the largest megaphone in the world. His behavior during and after the chaos was also unscrupulous, from attacking Vice President Mike Pence during the riot to praising the criminals after the end. “
House minority leader Kevin McCarthy visits “Mornings With Maria” at FOX Business Network Studios on April 23, 2018, in New York City. (John Lamparski / Getty Images)
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Trump responded in kind, criticizing McConnell as a “severe, taciturn and serious political hack” that would drag Republicans down in the future. Donald Trump Jr., meanwhile, told Fox News at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that there are “many” Senate Republicans against whom he and his father would consider supporting primary challenges.
Whether embracing the former president or distancing himself from him is a better strategy than could be seen if House or Senate Republicans performed better in the mid-2022 term. Republicans are defending many seats in the Senate, but are only a majority vote. In the House, they are less than 10 seats away from making McCarthy the speaker, but they may face fundraising problems as some donors stopped donating to Republicans after Jan. 6.
There is also the political operation of Trump’s Save America America, which he asked his followers to donate exclusively to other committees associated with the Republican Party. Candidates who receive financial support from this group may depend on the perception of loyalty to the former president.