The big picture: McCarthy, one of Trump’s most ardent allies, is on the verge of becoming Speaker of Parliament after the November midterm elections. But his path to success is based on solid conservative support: Withdrawal from too many GOP members could reduce his chances. See what has happened so far after the tapes: April 21: Two New York Times reporters publish an excerpt from their book, This Will Not Pass, which describes a Jan. 10, 2021, call between McCarthy and other top Republicans in which McCarthy said he planned to urge Trump. to resign for the January 6 uprising. The Republican leader denies the report, calling it “completely false and wrong.”

Later that night, reporters – Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns – give a tape recording of the “Rachel Mantow Show” in which McCarthy is heard talking to MP Liz Cheney (R-Wyo) and others about Trump:

McCarthy: “Liz, are you on the phone?” Cheney: “Yes, I’m here. Thank you, Kevin. … Do you hear that he can resign? Is there any reason to believe that this can happen?” McCarthy: “I’ve had some conversations. My instinct is to say no. I’m thinking seriously about having this conversation with him tonight. I’ve not talked to him in two days. From what I know about him – I mean. “Do you think he would ever step back? But what I think I will do is call him.” …— Excerpt from the call of January 10th. Key Answer: McCarthy talks to Trump over the tape. Trump does not seem upset about the sound and is grateful that McCarthy did not actually urge him to resign.

Trump later told the Wall Street Journal that his relationship with McCarthy had not been damaged by the recording. “It’s a big compliment, honestly,” he says. “They realized they were wrong and they supported me.”

April 26: The New York Times publishes the sound of another phone call from January 10, 2021, in which McCarthy fears that comments made by far-right members of Congress “put people in danger.” Expresses support for some of its members who are losing access to Twitter.

McCarthy later dismissed the importance of sound during a brief meeting with top House Republicans, saying they should not let it divide members because the conference has more important issues to focus on.

“The tension is very high, the country is very crazy, I do not want to look back and believe that we caused something or lost something and someone was injured.” – McCarthy in the second audio released. Key Answer: House Republicans close ranks around McCarthy, though MP Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) Blasts the leader for both cassettes, while others, including MP Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). ), hesitate in public about their faith in him.

During a GOP conference meeting Wednesday morning, McCarthy defended his earlier comments, arguing that what was posted reflected a vague picture of the call, that he was speaking hypothetically, and that he never wiped his limbs in public. He receives a standing ovation from the class and the archive.

What to watch: The two New York Times reporters who released the audio said they “have a lot more on tape than this period.”

“I think he’s going to tell a very different story about this period than the story that a lot of people are trying to tell right now,” Jonathan Martin of the New York Times told Rachel Mantow of MSNBC.