‘Target On All Their Backs’: CNN Reports Kevin McCarthy to Join Outside Groups In Trying to Get Rid of GOP House Members Who Ousted Him

CNN Congressional reporters Melanie Zanona and Manu Raju discussed Sunday the ongoing efforts to punish the eight House GOP members who voted to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year.

Raju played a clip of McCarthy saying there needed to be “consequences” for those eight and added, “So part of the consequences appear to be donors now shutting their wallets.”

“And that’s actually what a couple of the members who I spoke to, and I asked them about, what are they sensing from the donors? They’re saying there has been an impact,” Raju added before playing some clips from recent interviews.

“Have you seen any of your fundraising dry up because of that vote?” Raju asked Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN).

“Yeah, absolutely,” Burchett replied.

“Which group?” Raju pressed.

“Some very wealthy folks, and they’ve been very kind to me in the past. And, and, I hope that, we can mend the fences,” Burchett responded.

Raju asked Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) the same question, who replied, “Oh, of course. Yeah, that’s definitely a reality. And, I think anybody that participated in that knew that going forward.”

“Now, Melanie, talk us through what you what you’re learning from this reporting, especially Nancy Mace and Bob Good. the two of the eight who voted to oust McCarthy. They’re facing a difficult primary,” Raju asked Zanona.

“Yeah, and they are thought to be the most vulnerable,” replied Zanona, adding:

There’s a well-connected outside group that is planning to get involved in both of those races, to play against them. We’re hearing that Kevin McCarthy himself is expected to get involved in some way. Some of his allies have already been donating to some of the primary opponents. Some of them have already officially endorsed the primary opponents. And meanwhile, even on Capitol Hill, there’s also been an effort to sort of make these members pariahs.

There’s been two sort of, center-right-leaning groups on Capitol Hill that Nancy Mace was belonging to. They both quietly dropped her as a member because they just see her. I mean, Kevin McCarthy was especially burned by her because she was someone who sort of built herself as part of the governing wing. You know, she wasn’t a part of the Freedom Caucus. Kevin McCarthy spent a lot of money, actually, to help her get initially elected. And so they are trying to keep her at an arm’s distance. Now, the question is whether the voters care about this. I think in Bob Good’s district, he’s pretty confident that, you know, it’s a very conservative area that they didn’t like Kevin McCarthy. Same with Eli Crane, Andy Biggs, Nancy Mace. It’s a little bit different down there. So we’ll have to see. But certainly, there’s a target on all of their backs right now.

“No question about that. Bob Good told me he said that my opponent wants to bring Kevin McCarthy to campaign against me. Great. Let’s see that happen. The question is the money the outside groups are spending, as Melanie said, potential outside groups coming in to spend money in this race,” Raju concluded.

Watch the clip above via CNN.