The changes were made on Thursday, the same day McCarthy unexpectedly dropped out of the race for Speaker of the House. Rumors the California congressman had an affair with Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) picked up steam this week. And indeed, Ellmers had a rather interesting quote in The Hill today that can plausibly be read as dovetailing with the rumors.
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He told FoxNews.com he doesn’t think his letter prompted McCarthy to bow out, but also said of his decision: “There’s something there that I don’t know about”. He denied that the decision was in response to a letter from a lawmaker who asserted any candidate with embarrassing misdeeds in their past should withdraw.
In recent days, several lawmakers have reported receiving emails about the allegations, apparently from a right-wing activist known for spamming Republicans.
Ellmers addressed the rumors – and the emails – at a closed-door meeting of GOP members Friday.
She thanked them for their “prayers and support”, according to POLITICO, citing multiple unnamed sources who were in the room. She referred to the messages as “crazy” and noted that despite the odds she faces as a woman in Washington, she would be able to handle them since she was a “tough cookie”, according to the Associated Press. McCarthy said he was getting out of the race because he did not want to divide the Republican conference and he believed he was “not the right one” to lead the group. A Louisiana Republican, Livingston had been selected as Gingrich’s successor when he acknowledged an affair and withdrew.
“That and a few other issues triggered my thought process”, he said.
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“I nearly describe it as the “Wild West of the Web” where anything can be put up and oftentimes takes on a life of its own”, said Michael Bitzer, a political scientist at Catawba College.
