Rep. Eric Swalwell speculates Kevin McCarthy will be next to leave Congress

Rep. Eric Swalwell says he thinks Rep. Kevin McCarthy will be the next member to leave Congress after former Rep. George Santos was expelled Friday.

“With Santos gone, you’re hearing it here first: the next GOP member to leave Congress will be @SpeakerMcCarthy. No way he stays,” the California Democrat wrote Saturday on X. “A guy who kidney punches his colleagues from behind is too afraid to serve out a full term with them. I bet he’s gone by the end of the year. What say you?”

The “kidney punches” comment referred to an incident last month, when Rep. Tim Burchett said Mr. McCarthy elbowed him in what the Tennessee Republican called “a clean shot to the kidneys,” during an interview by NPR.

Mr. McCarthy, California Republican, denied that he elbowed Mr. Burchett.

The incident was just roughly a month after Mr. Burchett had voted along with seven other Republicans and House Democrats to oust Mr. McCarthy from the speakership.

Mr. Santos was expelled Friday after a House Ethics Committee report found that the New York Republican had used campaign funds for personal reasons, such as purchasing luxury items or on adult websites, which then caused the campaign to file false or incomplete reports.

Mr. Swalwell and Mr. McCarthy have been at odds: In January, Mr. McCarthy as speaker blocked Mr. Swalwell and another Democrat from seats on the House Intelligence Committee.

In a statement to the then-speaker, the Democrats said, “It’s disappointing but not surprising that Kevin McCarthy has capitulated to the right wing of his caucus, undermining the integrity of the Congress, and harming our national security in the process.”

Mr. McCarthy has denied allegations that he would be resigning in the past, and has said he will seek reelection in 2024.

The Washington Times has reached out to Mr. McCarthy’s office for comment.