REVEALED: Kevin McCarthy was behind Nancy Pelosi being kicked out of her office – so he could move in – as Republicans take revenge of Democrats they say are to blame for kicking him out

Kevin McCarthy supported the removal of Nancy Pelosi from her private office in the Capitol because he wanted it for his own use, according to a new report Wednesday.

In what was seen as an act of revenge, Pelosi and Steny Hoyer, a former Democratic leader and beloved member of Congress, were evicted from their Capitol offices by Republican Chairman Pro Temp Patrick McHenry.

But McCarthy really supported the order, CNN reported. He and McHenry are close allies. It was McCarthy who secured his friend’s appointment to the top leadership spot in the House of Representatives by appointing him pro-temp speaker should anything happen to McCarthy.

And McCarthy’s motive: retaliation. He and his Republican friends are furious. Democrats did not help him avoid being removed as chairman in Tuesday’s historic vote.

Republican Rep. Garret Graves argued that McCarthy is getting Pelosi’s office space in the Capitol because he is the former speaker, replacing her as the most recent to hold that title.

“Look, the deal is that the office where Pelosi sits now is the office of the previous speaker. Speaker Pelosi and other Democrats decided they wanted a new… speaker, and it’s Kevin McCarthy. So he gets the office,” he said.

Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster of New Hampshire called the expulsions of top Democrats “petty.”

“I’ve heard about that pettiness, and honestly, I understand it started when Kevin McCarthy left on his way out the door. I certainly hope that the mood improves,” she told CNN.

Speaker Pro Temp Patrick McHenry issued the eviction notices shortly after taking over as speaker. The majority party has all the power on Capitol Hill and controls office space and meeting rooms.

The House of Representatives voted 216 to 210 on Tuesday to remove McCarthy as speaker. All Democrats, along with eight Republican conservatives, voted to impeach him.

McCarthy was the shortest-serving speaker since 1875, and the only one in U.S. history to be voted out of the leadership by fellow members.

Pelosi described her expulsion as a “sharp departure from tradition.”

Traditionally, former speakers are given office space in the Capitol. Former Republican Chairman John Boehner has such an office space.

Pelosi will maintain her congressional office in the Canon House Office Building. But office space on the House side of the Capitol is at a premium, and it’s a sign of power to have space allocated there.

And Pelosi’s office was in a prime location, just off the House floor.

“Office space doesn’t matter to me, but it seems important to them,” she said in a statement. “Now that the new Republican Leadership has resolved this important issue, let’s hope they get to work on what really matters to the American people.”

Pelosi was the first female Speaker of the House of Representatives, and she served in that role for a total of eight years, from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023. In November, her Democratic colleagues voted to grant her the ceremonial title of “Speaker.” . Emerita.’

Pelosi is in San Francisco for the funeral of the late Senator Dianne Feinstein. Her staff received an email on Tuesday evening telling them to ‘vacate the premises’ by Wednesday – at which point the locks would be changed.

Democratic leadership staff helped her pack her personal items so McCarthy could bring his belongings inside.

Hoyer was also served with an eviction notice.

McCarthy blamed Pelosi for his impeachment and said she had promised to support him if a motion to impeach him was made.

His nemesis, conservative Rep. Matt Gaetz, made the formal motion to “vacate the seat,” initiating the process of removing a speaker from power.

“I think today it was a political decision by the Democrats. And I think the things that they’ve done in the past have damaged the institution,” McCarthy said Tuesday night shortly after the vote to impeach him.

He said he spoke to Nancy Pelosi during his marathon speakership campaign in January and told her about conservatives’ demands that he change House rules so one lawmaker could make the motion to “vacate the seat.”

McCarthy said Pelosi told him to give in to conservatives and told him she would always support him, implying he thought he had support from Democrats to fight back against the legislative move.

But Democrats were clear Tuesday that they saw the speakership as a Republican problem.

“This issue is about Republican dysfunction,” said Rep. Mark Takano. “We have no obligation to elect a Republican chairman. But we have no special obligation to save this speaker either. So there is no obligation or sense that we have to do anything to save the speaker.”

“We are not here to keep Kevin McCarthy in power. This is their problem. If they have the votes to keep him, then so be it,” said Rep. Jim McGovern.

Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger said of McCarthy, “He made his bed.”

McCarthy said Tuesday night that he would not run for speaker again, leaving the gavel up for grabs.

The next steps are highly uncertain and there is no clear successor to lead the Republican majority in the House of Representatives.

As speaker pro tempore, McHenry will preside over the vote and selection of the next speaker of the House, with the ability to adjourn, adjourn and recognize speaker nominations.

McHenry said his goal was to choose a speaker next Wednesday.

As speaker, McCarthy was required to submit a confidential list to the clerk “in the order in which each will act as chairman pro tempore in the event of a vacancy,” according to House rules.

McHenry was the top name on that list.

Action in the House of Representatives is on hold until next week, when Republicans will try to elect their new speaker.