Politics

Bret Baier To Host Televised ‘Joint Interview’ With Speaker Contenders

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Fox News’ Bret Baier will host a televised “joint interview” on Monday evening between declared and potential candidates for House speaker after Kevin McCarthy was ousted, according to a Friday press release.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, who have both announced speaker bids, will participate in the discussion on “Special Report” along with Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, who is considering a run, according to the Fox News press release. The “joint interview” will precede the House GOP’s candidate forum on Tuesday, and speaker election on Wednesday.

“Baier will press the congressmen on who should be the next Speaker of the House and discuss the issues facing Congress and the Republican party going forward,” the press release reads.

The event was first reported by Punchbowl News on Friday.

Scalise and Jordan are both racking up endorsements, including House Majority Whip Tom Emmer backing the majority leader and former President Donald Trump throwing his support behind the chairman. Hern hasn’t decided whether he will jump in the race, but has been gauging support from members since McCarthy was ousted on Tuesday.

“Mr. Jordan is always happy to share his plan for the country, but he believes it is crucial to meet with the GOP conference before the event,” Russell Dye, spokesperson for Jordan, told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement.

@realDonaldTrump makes an endorsement for Speaker of the House.

Trump To Endorse Jim Jordan For House Speaker@DailyCaller https://t.co/8ctJoF8CGH

— Harold Hutchison (@HaroldHutchison) October 6, 2023

The House voted 216 to 210 to remove McCarthy from his post after Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz filed a motion to vacate the speaker on Monday following the passage of a continuing resolution to temporarily fund the government. Along with Gaetz, Republican Reps. Matt Rosendale of Montana, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Eli Crane of Arizona, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Ken Buck of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennessee and Bob Good of Virginia voted to oust McCarthy.

Many allies of McCarthy have been critical of Gaetz and the other seven Republicans who supported the motion to vacate, arguing they did so for personal reasons. Some have floated expelling the Florida congressman, and others have called for a change to the rules to avoid a similar situation in the future.

McCarthy soon announced he would not seek the position again, and Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry of North Carolina has been serving as speaker pro tempore.

A spokesperson for Hern confirmed the details of the event and the congressman’s attendance to the DCNF. Scalise did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include new information from Fox News.