The internal battle within the House GOP over choosing the new Speaker has led to death threats, according to Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), the newest member of Congress to report such threats.
In an interview with NBC on Thursday, Buck said that his office had received four death threats as a result of his opposition to Rep. Jim Jordan’s (R-Ohio) bid for Speaker. Buck cast his vote for House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) on both of this week’s Speaker ballots.
We currently have six full-time employees answering the phones due to the constant deluge of calls, he said. He said, “So far I’ve received four death threats out of 20,000 messages.”
Additionally, Buck said that his landlord had evicted him from his office due to his opposition to Jordan.
“I’ve been kicked out of my Colorado workplace. My landlord is upset with my voting record on the Speaker issue, thus I have notice of an eviction,” he remarked. “And this is understood by everyone at the conference. Threats have been made to family members. There are numerous things happening. There will probably be some conflict.
Reps. Don Bacon (Neb.), Drew Ferguson (Ga.), and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Iowa) all reported receiving threats for opposing Jordan.
In the second vote on the Speaker on Wednesday, 22 Republicans opposed Jordan, two more than the 20 who did so on the first. He received 199 votes, down one from the day before. In order to be elected Speaker with all 433 members present, he needs 217 votes on the floor. On Friday, a third vote is anticipated.
In the interview published on Thursday, Buck—one of the eight Republicans who joined with Democrats to remove former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R–Calif.)—said Jordan should give up trying to become speaker.
He declared, “I believe Jim should retire at this time. “I believe he could require an additional vote to be persuaded that he won’t succeed, which is good. The candidate was him. He should be treated with respect at the meeting. However, I believe that eventually we must go on and secure the 217 votes required for a proposal.
However, Jordan had a press conference on Friday morning that seemed to indicate he is still actively pursuing the Speakership. On Thursday, Jordan temporarily backed granting Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) interim authority, but it soon became evident that a number of Republicans were against the idea.
Buck stated that he would support McHenry being Speaker, but only temporarily.
“I would vote to make him the Speaker of the House for a temporary period, and I would work very hard with my Republican colleagues during that period to try to find the 217 votes necessary to ensure that we have a permanent Speaker for the remainder of this conference,” he stated.