If House representatives decide to bring an outsider in to replace outgoing Speaker John Boehner, Sen. Tom Cotton says he has the perfect candidate: former Vice President Dick Cheney.
"Look, these are trying times for our nation," the
Arkansas Republican told Politico for its "Huddle" newsletter. "It's important to have a steady hand on the helm during times like this."
Further, Cotton said that he thinks experience "really counts in a matter like this. I think House leadership experience really matters. And as you know the speaker doesn't have to be a member of the House: So therefore, Vice President Cheney for speaker.”
Cotton, who is the nation's youngest senator and has only spent two years in the House, pointed out that Cheney is "a man of the House, he says that himself."
Cheney was in the House for more than a decade and eventually became minority whip, reports CNN. However, the former vice president has already endorsed Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who last week suddenly removed himself from the race.
"I've known Kevin McCarthy for many years. He is a good man and a strong leader," Cheney said in a statement Wednesday, one night before McCarthy suddenly dropped out of the race. "As a man of the House and a former member of the House leadership, I know that Kevin McCarthy is the person we need as speaker in these dangerous and important times."
Sen. Richard Burr, a friend of Boehner's, told Politico that he is not suggesting anyone, but he does know from when he was in the House that the new Speaker could be brought in from the outside.
There have been other suggestions for the soon-to-be vacant spot, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich or ex-Sec. of State Colin Powell,
reports NBC News.
The Constitution simply says the House can pick its own speaker and other officers, and the clerk of the House and House historian agree that while the speaker has always been a member of the house, it doesn't have to be.
Most historians, NBC reports, conclude the Founding Fathers assumed the speaker would be chosen from the ranks of elected lawmakers.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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