McCarthy allies say he wants to be speaker, not chief of staff
By JOHN BRESNAHAN and RACHAEL BADE 02/14/2018 07:16 PM EST
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy insists he’s not in the running for White House chief of staff. And the California Republican’s allies say the only job he really wants — other than the post he currently has — is speaker of the House.
But as embattled White House chief of staff John Kelly fights to stay on in the midst of the Rob Porter scandal, McCarthy has been floated repeatedly as a possible replacement. It’s a replay of what happened when Kelly’s predecessor, Reince Priebus, stepped down in July.
On Wednesday, McCarthy denied repeatedly that’s he spoken with President Donald Trump about the job or is on the verge of taking it.
“I don’t answer hypotheticals,” McCarthy told CNN on Wednesday. “Gen. Kelly is there. I think he’s put a lot of structure in there.”
more
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/14/kevin-mccarthy-speaker-chief-of-staff-410422
