Turner: If GOP can’t elect Speaker then ‘deal will have to be done’ with Democrats
Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said Sunday if House Republicans cannot elect a Speaker soon then a “deal will have to be done” with Democrats in order to get the chamber running again, as it nears two weeks since Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) historic ousting.
Asked on CBS News’s “Face the Nation” if there is a possible alternative scenario in which Republicans will need to work with Democrats to find a “mutually acceptable Speaker,” Turner responded that while he prefers a Republican solution to electing a Speaker and supports Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a few hard-line GOP members may force a bipartisan deal.
“I think Jim Jordan will be an excellent Speaker. I think he’ll be able to get to 217. If not, we have other leaders in the House. And certainly, if there is a need if the radical, you know, almost just handful of people in the Republican side, make it unable … to be able to return to general work on the House, then I think obviously, there will be a deal [that] will have to be done,” Turner said.
McCarthy was booted from the top spot in a 216-210 vote nearly two weeks ago, making him the first Speaker to to ever be ousted. Eight Republicans joined all House Democrats in voting to take away the gavel from the California Republican.
In the chaotic set of days that followed, the Republicans vying for the Speakership have been met with internal division and opposition, making it more difficult to garner the 217 needed to take the top spot.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (La.) won a nomination vote last Wednesday against Jordan, but he dropped out later Thursday when it became apparent he would struggle to get the 217 votes needed on the floor.
Jordan put his name back in the ring and went on to clinch the nomination in a second vote last Friday, beating challenger Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.). However, it is still unclear if Jordan can shore up the necessary votes.
Turner said Jordan is “working right now” to put a coalition together to get to the 217 votes needed.
In the interview, Turner was also asked about allegations against Jordan regarding his turning a blind eye to the sexual abuse of wrestlers when he coached at Ohio State University more than two decades ago.
“There’s not one person who ever said that they have knowledge of Jim Jordan having any knowledge,” Turner said. “And what occurred at Ohio State wasn’t even under Jim Jordan; he was not like the head coach. This was not something that he had responsibility for.”