You think this is just a Community Center . Its way more than that. Partnering with a thousand centers to create wifi lift zones so students from low income families can get the tools they need to be ready for anything. A discussion on the current state of politics with of the former House Speaker kevin mccarthy. He talks about why he voted against certifying the 2020 president ial election results. His continued support for President Donald Trump and that the motive behind the removal as House Speaker back in october. This is hosted by georgetown universitys institute of politics and public service. It runs just over one hour and ten minutes. I am currently the team leader for spring 2024 fellow mckayla a car. Mckayla sir forker former speaker at mccarthy chief of staff and general counsel. By working with mckayla i have learned so much about the ins and outs of congressional work at the highest level. Having the opportunity late and here so we really shared insights of the most senior staff is truly unique. Great up just outside of seattle, is not always exposed to opinions other than one similar to my own. But by coming here, to the city and the school and by fighting these programs are vital to expand my worldview and welcome opinions are previously foreign to me. This to me embodies the spirit of democracy and exemplifies what its all about. With that today is my pleasure to introduce the house kevin mccarthy. Kevin mccarthy served served 55th speaker of the house of representatives. U. S. Representative for california 20 congressional district. 2007 2023. He served two terms of the California Family before being elected to the u. S. House and 22006. Mccarthy served as her public and chief deputy whip 2009 2011. House majority whip from 2011 until 2014. In 2014 his luck that House Majority leader later surfaced House Minority leader as well. He was elected to the speakership in general 2023 filling his marks a former speaker will take his questions in a discussion moderated executive director. During the conversation on social media by tagging at gq politics using mccarthy at gu. Now, please show me in welcoming to the stage former speaker of the house kevin mccarthy. [applause] [applause] it is a great crowd this close to the end of the semester. I think i was at the tombs this close to the end of the semester mr. Speaker thank you for joining us for coming back. You spent some time here. Your son graduated a few years back on the other on the 21st at the stamp at midnight. [laughter] thank you for being here. As we were talking about backstage a big focus on the institute this year has been around the topic of trusting democracy. We are seeing a poll after poll after poll Shows Americans not just americans but people across europe, latin america are losing faith in the institution, the Associated Press had a poll just last week that showed only three in 10 americans believe our nations democracy is functioning well. Our own poll taken last month says 81 of americans believe democracy is actively under threat. So i want to dig into that a little bit tonight. I have got some thoughts on that that i want to ask you about. I also want to hear yours. We are going to have a conversation for a little bit and about the halfway mark we went to fight all of you should join the conversation. As always the speaker has graciously agreed to take student questions as well. But i want to start there before start throwing out my theories. Why do you think Americans Trust in democracy . First of all thank you for being here. I think thats a number of reasons. Youve got to think about democracy itself. It is still the greatest form of government. Because it was designed itself its not fast, its not overly efficient in certain manners as reasons why people have lack of trust in epic meanwhile the start happened after the pentagon papers during the vietnam war. Used it really trust your government. Youve got social media, no longer do we just have three tv stations that provide you news, you can go home and get your news from an outlet philosophically agrees with you. It does not matter what position you take and does not matter if youre republican or democrat or a more progressive or more far rhetoric i can ins msnbc instead of the others. When they are providing are not providing news they are providing opinions. Youre not hearing somebody and how effective has congress and the senate been the last little bit . I has been compounded. Social media as a whole another aspect to it. And then i would say from this perspective there is another of other reasons it may people begin to question. You slowly have had since the year 2000 every time a publican ran or won a presidency for the first time i got challenged on the floor. Then you had republicans challenge the last or present you are generally six. But you have had that go on and governor races and others. He would not pick up on it at first then we had covid. Anytime something coalbed happens is like once in 100 years or others those go to the power of democracy itself. Historic study if someone is a leader and its eight democracy you will lose. It is so changing of your self into the institution itself. The only real leader that sustains itself is inside politics. Structure dictates behavior. When covid hit we didnt know what it was. And so the world didnt know what it was hard to react with policy mix at the same time. So in congress the next thing they did i was opposed to it but they would call proxy voting. It was only going to be used if you had covid. So you did not to fly to vote but you did not want to lose your votes you can vote by proxy. You would think thats a good idea. I was opposed to it. I thought it would be taken further. Then they can keep it in the rate we are pascoe in june how people would use it . It didnt matter if you had cody signed a piece of paper as a person at some movie stars wedding in france there is a guy voting on a boat on vacation and he phones in. And it took itself. But this is what happened with it. Members werent talking to each other. And then because of covid made a special rule that they dont want to go through committee in congress you work all the time to get on the committee of that jurisdiction the bill goes randyfight hard for it and peopo lose because some people are home voting another way. How serious are they looking at it . It compounds all of that and. You do not have news provided, this is the information you have an opinion is going to go from one side to the other. If social media providing something very quickly theres no editor in charge of what somebody says. I have seen a lot of things tired. You got people challenging president ial races and others on both sides of the aisle. Technically i have the right to do that. But now it just becomes aware no matter where we are United States of america refers to states is red or blue. And they define you all that weight. Its not just the trusting of democracy, you trust your bank . You trust people down the street but you judge them. How i can hear them say i dont trust them because that person is a Different Party that i am, right . Are my kids would come back know you just didnt do it right, which one is it . I will be upset if my child married outside my film the blank. Faith, race, Political PartyPolitical Party exceeded faith and races. I guess that is progress. [laughter] but i find that nuts in many ways. To your point people have that visceral reaction. Given you took people within their own party and define what your party stands for you if they couldnt agree. And they would fight among themselves. To five or six parties in congress. If i just had my own party that eight people not in it i would still be speaker. [laughter] were going to get to that. [applause] you touched on a lot of things that i want to get to hear. Let me start. You talk about people challenging elections. Lets start with trust in elections in our most recent poll about 60 of people have some level of doubt the 2024 election will be held fairly and about half of those i feel completely certain it will not be held fairly. And so lets go back to 2020 for a moment. Do you believe joe biden won that election . Can you explain the rationale behind your vote on january 6 regarding certification of the election . And report certification of election is and remember 2020. What happened prior to 2020 . Covid. Have we ever had in election during covid . What transpired states Just Like Congress started during their balloting different. Right . You had california said im going to send everybody a ballot. You people making decisions is it fair when let you correct the ballot in another does not. The only time you have a question which are very honest with everyone else. If i was successful and my vote for challenging the last election, who would be president today . Joe biden. We get elected by electoral college. We never objected to enough vote that would change the outcome. But thats not the same case to the election a transpired in 2000. Or 2006. The problem being you see this progress over time. What would nancy pelosi tell you when they first objected . She said this was your only time to do it. It is to rule the government. But you have covid on top of it. We didnt challenging california of europe from there and everyone got a ballot and they moved so often the lesson for families they do not clean up the rules. If you look at l. A. One point to million more people on the ballot then who are old enough to register to vote there. Because they dont clean the roles. When you transfer what happened in 2020. In 2020 if you look at that election you look at how close it was biden won that election by 48918 votes. 48918 votes. A lot of the states were very close. So to me thats not a problem especially when youre living in the world of covid and people are making others. At your only time to question did it happen . And in a democracy where the cornerstones of the democracy is your ability to question something. And if you dont question it are you more likely to believe it or not . If you are denied that ability then youre really going to assume. Were coming off of also come you got bush gore in florida. You have got georgia. You have got the challenge of the 2016 race. You got Hilary Clinton who said she one. You had jimmy carter said that hilary one. You have hakeem the democratic leader said trump is an illegitimate president. You had invited and who agreed with that. You had it built upon all of this and then you have an unbelievable covid experience people literally change election laws. Legislatures could not meet. When else would you be able to raise the question . In 2,002,016 its no surprise there were here there were folks who challenged the election very quickly challenged ohio. With democratic nominee had already conceded the race. And it was a few people. It was not a majority of the democratic conference doing it. I bring up that distinction because in 2020 the income but was still actively trying to make the case that it was not over. And it fueled some of that number that i read. It fueled some of peoples distrust in the election. Winds everyone said it was hunkydory. That show of force the income but is still pushing it does that not lead to some of the distrust . Would hilary push it to she conceded progress note, she will say that i will read your quotes were she said you could run the best campaign, you can win and get the most votes in that whenn party of former president jimmy carter. Joe biden was in 2016 was delivery had a race for georgia for governor who said no but yot the former governor of virginia whose the dnc chair questioning that answer. The one point i would raise to you mike those who question the race when george bush won challenged ohio. Had they been successful bush would not be president. Had republicans who challenge the 2020 race been successful in their two challenges joe biden will be president. When i have the same electoral vote that came out but challenging something doesnt mean youre overturning something. A challenge is a challenge. Is there something wrong here . Thats the point. A member of congress is elected by themselves but does not matter if someone says something else. Im sure all of that helps im e short brought more votes. But, remember where the country was that as well. We had been at this point i dont bush gore you remember them storming into the belt to remember looking at the guy within bible with a hanging chad went to the Supreme Court to make the decision. These are all added into the question where are they so close . And, having covid on top of it raise the question higher. Whats lets talk about what happened in the middle of that day. The assault on the capitol, the insurrection. I guess one of the things i still struggle with as i look at that day reaction ever since honestly even until today are the number of people who are willing to excuse it. To apologize for it. With many of them some very high profile people referring to those people as hostages, the defendants as hostages. At a time will we are spending a lot of time talking about the rule of law is that normalizing that kind of Political Violence . That kind of rhetoric . Set insight of january 6. I got removed from the capitol. They broke into my office. I did not leave my office until they were coming through the window. What happened on generally sixth was wrong. I dont apologize for any the people did it. It was not right in any way, shape, or form. It was not right we had a couple months before people protesting appointment to the Supreme Court and pounding on her door and trying to get into the Supreme Court. I do not like the idea that after the fact they tried to politicize it and screen into the weight of their own beliefs in their own style. If it was truly you believed it was as bad as that why it wouldnt you, as speaker from house with everything you have ever done let the minority leader appoint the republican to investigate just as you let them appoint a democrat. For the first time in history will move it to perform. He was the first person to ask to have a Bipartisan Commission to look at what happened on january 6 . Me. Due to its interesting . And its another reason i have a problem break the eye was the minority leader at the time. The sgt of arms. The sheriff of the capitol have ever met that man . No. On that day they had warnings with the fbi and Everything Else to think he came to tell me for that members this could be a problem that day. Nope. But with members can talk in front of the capitol the parking attendant told the members there could be a problem. The sgt of arms did not warn us. When this transpired, they literally had the guards move me out the sgt of arms ever call me . Maybe two days later, no. He reported to one person. He made the policing of the capitol to be political. Drive down structure dictates behavior. That should not be the case. Just like Speaker Pelosi told me i cannot appoint certain members to the committee to investigate she would pick who could be. How are you going to the bottom know its true or not . How do you start the premise was saying everything is open except the speakers communication with the sgt of arms that day. What type of answer are you going to get . If you really want to know the answer. So would you say to folks today who are downplaying what happened on that day . Or defending the people storm the capitol quest request on the defendant people storm the capitol but defending the due process for how long if we are now sitting almost four years later, or the city in jail in not having the ability to go to court . Are they being treated fairly . I think that is a greater question that i hear from people on the other side. I dont to spend we have a lot of material to cover and i keep getting the signed were going to move to student questions. I want to talk a little bit reckless talk a little bit more about congress. The gallup Approval Rating last month showed 12 . At the lowest it has ever been. Im no longer speaker. Consider that would happen. [laughter] make in the institution one of the few institutions thats less improper than Major Party Nominees for president right now. Is kind of hard. Talk about your experience. Upon winning the majority, running for speaker in that marathon. Was it good tv . Affect first felt when we tie this i served 17 years i loved every single day. I serve speaker i looked every everyone. The highest and the lowest. Theres two philosophies i have every day want to learn something new and i could never activity friends. I am a republican but is not born into a republican family is born a democrat out my center to georgetown i had no ability to get into georgetown. My family did not have great wealth. My father was a fire fighter and priest of his days off. I was the youngest but we got out of high school couldnt go away to college i went to Junior College. They instilled in me a work ethic. I never give up. I met this guy he had a liquor store was selling beer under hb had a car dealers license 11 the city in california i talked him into an lp a 100 bucks if you take me to the l. A. Car auction. You got to be a dealer to get into the big auction. I started buying and selling cars and flipping them to pay met with your college its illegal but i dont know when im doing it. We go to Junior College you visit your buddies a bit because my best or was it stanford i go to the Grocery Store to cash the checks of money for the week. Lo and behold as im cashing this check the day before the lottery started in california so i bought a Lottery Ticket and i won the lottery. Could you believe that . Put yourself in my place as 1985 was 5000 dont distort before bided so there is money. Just a joke. [laughter] brightman 5000 bucks and you spend time until what i come back and get my brother and sister each a hundred bucks i put the majority of the rest of the money into one stock i do pretty well any 30 . Next semester take a break from school. I go on and tried to buy a franchise no one will sell me when im onl