An Iowa Republican who voted against Rep. Jim Jordan for House speaker said she had received “credible death threats” since she withdrew her support for him in the second round of voting.
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks said she received “an avalanche of threatening calls” and multiple threats to her life after she voted for Rep. Kay Granger, chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, on Wednesday afternoon.
Miller-Meeks initially voted for Jordan, a staunch conservative from Ohio, in the first ballot for president on Tuesday before changing her choice the next day.
Jordan was nominated by the majority of his party last week, but twice failed to garner enough votes to be elected as the new speaker of the House of Representatives after Rep. Kevin McCarthy was removed from office.
U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks casts her vote as the House of Representatives holds its second round of voting for a new House Speaker at the U.S. Capitol on October 18, 2023 in Washington, DC.Getty Images
On Wednesday, Jordan received 199 votes from his Republican colleagues, 18 short of the 217 needed to secure the presidency.
The House is expected to give Jordan another chance with a third vote on Thursday.
Miller-Meeks said she won’t let the threats affect her decision-making in the upcoming vote.
Representative Jim Jordan, candidate for Speaker of the House, watches from his seat during the vote for Speaker of the House of Representatives, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on October 18, 2023. Shutterstock Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks said she has been receiving “an avalanche of threatening calls” and multiple threats on her life after voting for Rep. Kay Granger. AP
“One thing I can’t stand or support is a bully,” he said. “I didn’t stand up for bullies before I voted for President Granger and when I voted for President-designate Jordan, and I won’t bow to bullies now.”
He did not say who was making the threats, but he notified authorities.
Jordan spoke out against scare tactics.
Right-wing Republican Jim Jordan, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, is seen in the House chamber in Washington, DC on October 18, 2023.ZUMAPRESS.com
“We condemn all threats against our colleagues and it is imperative that we unite,” he said in a post on X. “Stop. It is abominable.”
Lawmakers who voted against the Ohio Republican said he has been nothing but cordial in conversations seeking their support, but many have said his supporters deploy intimidation tactics to try to win their vote.
With postal cables
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn