Rep-Elect Anna Paulina Luna Says She Was Threatened If She Doesn’t Support McCarthy for Speaker

Republican Rep-Elect Anna Paulina Luna from Florida told Steve Bannon on Friday that a member of Congress threatened her if she doesn’t vote for Kevin McCarthy for House Speaker.

She reportedly received a phone call saying ‘Vote for Kevin, or else!’

“I got a very inappropriate phone call on Thursday where basically, this was a couple of weeks ago actually, another member had called me basically to whip votes for the Speaker’s race and ultimately ended up threatening me,” Paulina Luna explained.

“And I let that female member know that I wasn’t basically going to be threatened.”

WATCH:

Incoming House Republican Anna Paulina Luna said “another member” was “inappropriate” and “threatening” to her because she wasn’t supporting Kevin McCarthy. pic.twitter.com/zYqlRo203C

— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) December 30, 2022

Newsweek reported:

Republican Representative-elect Anna Paulina Luna has said she was threatened by another member of the House of Representatives because of her opposition to electing House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy as speaker.

Luna spoke to Steve Bannon, former adviser to former President Donald Trump about an “inappropriate” phone call she had received from a female member of the House in a video shared to Twitter on Friday by PatriotTakes, which describes itself as “researchers monitoring and exposing right-wing extremism.”

The recently elected congresswoman will be sworn in on January 3 when the new Republican majority will attempt to elect the next speaker. McCarthy is facing stiff opposition to his bid for the speakership from within his own party.

In recent weeks, reports have indicated at least a dozen House Republicans will vote against McCarthy for House Speaker.

McCarthy Reportedly Clears First Hurdle to Become House Speaker

Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) said at least a dozen House Republicans intend to vote against McCarthy for House Speaker.

“I believe we have at least a dozen or so… that will do what needs to be done on the House Floor to ensure that we get an improvement in the Speaker situation,” Rep. Bob Good told John Fredericks, a political radio host.

“You know he’s going to be making deals left and right, as we speak, he’s on the phone now making deals – that’s how he got MTG, right. [McCarthy] cut her a deal…but you’re telling me you got a dozen ‘hard nos’?” Fredericks asked Rep. Good.

“I believe…that there’s a dozen or so who will show the steel courage that’s needed…that will not be persuaded. I hope that it’s more because I will tell you John…we got five or six, [a] handful of freshmen [congressman] who’ve come in who’ve shown some real steely resolve, some real courage. Because, when you get here John, you’re told, and I’m in DC now…but pressure gets on those freshmen [congressmen] coming in, ‘hey you better be careful, you better watch out, don’t be part of the Freedom Caucus, you know, because then you’re gonna fall out of favor, you’re gonna have consequence, you’re not going to get committee assignments you want, you’re not going to get the money that you want, you’re not going…to be promoted by leadership.’” Rep. Good explained.

.

.

.

McCarthy is likely attempting to make deals behind the scenes to secure enough votes to become House Speaker.

Tuesday, when the 118th Congress convenes for the first time, it appears the House is headed for a chaotic day.

Fox News explained:

And this year will likely be like any other opening day in the House of Representatives – until about 2 p.m.

NATIONAL POLL: Do You Still Have Trump's Back 100%?

That’s usually when the House votes on a speaker. The new speaker, in turn, swears in the entire body, and we’re off to the races.

And for the first time in a century, things might not go down like that. It’s far from certain that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., will become speaker. And, what’s even more cryptic is how long it may take the House to elect McCarthy as speaker, or someone else.

This could take a few hours. Or, it may even take a week or more.

The first order of business in the House is electing a speaker. It can’t do anything — including swearing in the new members — until the House chooses a speaker.

The last time the speaker vote even went to a second ballot was 1923. It took nine ballots and three days before the House reelected Speaker Frederick Gillett, R-Mass. The House frittered away two weeks before electing Speaker Howell Cobb, D-Ga., in 1849. But that was efficient compared to the two months the House squandered in late 1855 and early 1856 before finally electing Speaker Nathaniel Banks, D-Mass. — on the 163rd ballot.

This is what opening day will look like in the House – before things might get dicey.