Hours Before Speaker Vote, House Freedom Caucus Chair Releases Scathing Statement About McCarthy

With the clock ticking for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to secure the necessary votes to become speaker, the leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus says he “rejected” the opportunity.

On Tuesday morning, Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), the chair of the Freedom Caucus, released a statement blasting the California Republican.

“We’ve worked in good faith for months to change the status quo. At nearly every turn, we’ve been sidelined or resisted by McCarthy, and any perceived progress has often been vague or contained loopholes that further amplified concerns as to the sincerity of the promises being made,” Perry said.

He accused McCarthy of “repeatedly” failing to “demonstrate any desire to meaningfully change the status quo in Washington” after more than a decade in Republican leadership.

“Despite our deep reservations we have continued to work in earnest to find a path forward with McCarthy, knowing that this crucial moment would come,” he continued.

Check out the statement below:

Perry accused McCarthy of “dragging his feet for months” and presenting a “vague ultimatum lacking in specifics and substance.”

He also claimed conservative lawmakers “approached McCarthy with an offer to get him to 218,” however, “He declined.”

The Pennsylvania congressman said McCarthy refused to promise to hold votes on a series of bills addressing issues such as the southern border and term limits for lawmakers.

Perry also said members asked the Republican leader to “cease his efforts to defeat competitive conservative candidates in open Republican primaries. He denied it.”

Finally, Perry wrote, “Kevin McCarthy