LOUISVILLE, Ky. — On Jan. 6, 2021 former congressional representative John Yarmuth (D) spent six hours locked in his Capitol Hill office.
“I still think I have a little bit of some minor form of PTSD over that day,” says Yarmuth.
He struggled to process the attack on the Capitol.
“Then I couldn’t and I still can’t, that American citizens who claim to love the country would attack the very essence of their country,” says Yarmuth.
On the second anniversary of the attack, the contest to choose the next Speaker of the House continues after several failed votes
“It certainly is historic. Nothing like this has happened for more than 100 years,” says Yarmuth.
While rare, the standoff is not shocking to Yarmuth, who served in Congress with a Republican majority party for eight years.
“Anybody who was paying attention to what was going on that then would not be surprised. They really have no interest in governing or the ability to govern and we’re seeing that very clearly right now in their inability to elect a leader,” says Yarmuth.
Yarmuth says if Republicans want to reach an agreement, they will need democratic help and he believes that means rooting for someone other than California Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R).
“Kevin McCarthy has been nothing but a divisive force in the House ever since he became leader of the Republicans,” says Yarmuth.
Instead of McCarthy, Yarmuth’s betting on someone with a history of cooperating to be the next speaker of the house.
“Somebody like Tom Cole from Oklahoma or a Patrick McHenry from North Carolina, people who could actually ultimately get 218 votes, and then Kevin would fade out of the picture,” says Yarmuth.
Spectrum News 1’s Julia Benbrook spoke with Rep. James Comer (R) Thursday about the marathon House voting. Comer, who represents the state’s 1st Congressional District, is set to become chair of the high-profile House Committee on Oversight and Reform.
House Republicans missed the first deadline by failing to elect a speaker when the congressional session began Tuesday. Comer supports McCarthy and says he is as “frustrated as the average American watching this” all unfold.
“I think some of the 20 have taken advantage of the situation. And I think they continue to move the goalpost,” Comer told Spectrum News 1.
“And I like those guys. They are on my committee but at the end of the day this should have been resolved,” he added.
Comer is taking the bad with the good and ultimately said this is a learning experience for his party as they move forward and learn how to work with a slim majority.
Even though this is one of the longest speaker elections in history, Yarmuth assures Americans it will be resolved.
Only 15 of 127 speaker elections have required multiple ballots since 1789.