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--:-- Host: John Bickley: The House GOP conference has narrowly voted for Steve Scalise to be their candidate for speaker. We need to make sure we're sending a message to people all throughout the world that the House is open and doing the people's business. But does Scalise have the votes needed to win the gavel? And what concerns do GOP holdouts have? I'm Daily Wire, Editor-in-Chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Thursday, October 12th, and this is Morning Wire.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Israel forms an emergency war government and Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits the region, signaling continued U.S. support. The United States has Israel's back. We have the back of the Israeli people. We have their back today. We'll have it tomorrow. We will have it every day. And formal charges have been filed against New York State Representative George Santos. Will you step down? What is your message to your message? I will not. I have no comment.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
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--:-- John Bickley: GOP Majority Leader Steve Scalise won the vote among Republican members to be nominated as the new Speaker of the House on Wednesday, setting the table for a floor vote. It had come down to Scalise and Representative Jim Jordan as the two main candidates. But even after Scalise's narrow victory, there are still big questions as to when and even if he will become the 56th Speaker of the House of Representatives.
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--:-- John Bickley: Here to discuss all the curves and swerves in this fast-changing story is Daily Wire contributor David Marcus.
--:-- David Marcus: Morning. Steve Scalise won the secret ballot on Wednesday afternoon after both he and Jordan had made their pitches to the conference the night before. It was pretty tight. The vote was 113 to 99. And the next step will be a vote by the entire House in which the current majority leader will need 217 votes.
--:-- John Bickley: The problem, and pardon me if you feel like you're on a merry-go-round, is that as of Wednesday evening, he did not have that many votes. That's why instead of holding the vote on Wednesday afternoon, it was put off to a later date, possibly as early as Thursday, presuming Scalise can scrape together the votes he needs.
--:-- David Marcus: Republicans have said they do not want to go to the floor until they know this will pass. We all remember the 15 rounds of voting action back in January. They don't want a repeat of that. But thus far, they just aren't there yet.
--:-- John Bickley: So who are the members standing in Scalise's way? Is this the same group that opposed McCarthy? And then also, where does Jim Jordan stand?
--:-- David Marcus: It's not exactly the same group. There are a few Republicans who won't commit to voting for Scalise. Some of them were also holdouts in January, Lauren Boebert, for example. There's also Thomas Massey, who was specific that he would not vote for Scalise because he doesn't have a plan to avoid an omnibus bill. Marjorie Taylor Greene is also a no, as is Chip Roy, which comes as a bit of a surprise. He said that he needed more time.
--:-- John Bickley: As for Jordan, he has offered to nominate Scalise on the floor, but as to actually supporting him, he said somewhat cryptically that he would support whoever can get 217 votes. And so far, that's nobody.
--:-- David Marcus: Now, as for the eight or so holdouts that Scalise needs, what do they want from him in order to get behind him? And then what will happen if he can't get their votes in the next few days?
--:-- John Bickley: So as I mentioned Massey and some others want appropriations bills to be separated not part of the big omnibus which you might recall was the main reason Matt Gaetz gave for moving to vacate McCarthy in the place. There are also questions about Ukraine funding, which are going to be very important, given that President Biden plans to combine aid for Ukraine, Israel, and border money in his next request to Congress.
--:-- David Marcus: We don't know how long this could go on. If Scalise fails to get to 217, then Jordan could be nominated. But it's not clear that he can get the votes either. There's even been talk from some moderate Republicans that if there is a long standoff, Kevin McCarthy could be nominated again.
--:-- John Bickley: So right now we have a plethora of questions and a real dearth of answers. So if Scalise does manage to hold on to the gavel, what kind of changes can we expect in his leadership compared to that of Kevin McCarthy?
--:-- David Marcus: Honestly, not much. Ideologically and on policy, there's very little daylight between the two, which has led some in Congress and in the media to roll their eyes a bit and ask why this whole thing happened, and even to suggest that this proves that Gates's motivations were personal. Jordan would be a significant shift from McCarthy. Scalise decidedly is not.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, pressure has obviously mounted to get this done, given the horrible situation in Israel. If we do go some significant period without a speaker, how much is that going to hamper America's ability to come to Israel's aid?
--:-- David Marcus: In the short term, the Biden administration has the ability to keep military and financial aid flowing, owing really to previous legislation. But there are some types of appropriations that can't be passed without a sitting speaker. And more broadly, it's just a very bad look for Congress in general, but especially for the Republican caucus if they can't pick a speaker even during this crisis.
--:-- John Bickley: How voters feel about that, well, only time will tell. Right. David, thanks so much for reporting.
--:-- David Marcus: Thanks for having me.
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--:-- John Bickley: Israel has formed what they're calling a unity government to manage its war against Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck an agreement with one of his chief rivals, former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, to bring more military experience to the government during the war.
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--:-- John Bickley: Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to discuss.
--:-- Tim Pierce: So Netanyahu is tapping his opponent to form a unified government. What do we know about their shared goals right now?
--:-- John Bickley: It took a few days to work out a deal, but Prime Minister Netanyahu and Gantz have agreed that the Knesset will focus on the war effort and table other issues until it's resolved.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Under the agreement, a small war management cabinet will take the lead on military matters. It will be composed of Netanyahu, Gantz, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. An ally each of Gantz and Netanyahu will sit in on the cabinet as observers, and a seat on the cabinet will be reserved for opposition leader Yahr Lapid in case he decides to join the unity government.
--:-- John Bickley: And this agreement is going to hold just until the end of the war?
--:-- Tim Pierce: That's the plan.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, what about Hamas? Do they have an organized leadership? And if so, where are they based?
--:-- Tim Pierce: So Hamas' political leader is a man named Ismail Hany. He's headed the Hamas political bureau since 2017. Reports suggest he doesn't live in Gaza, but it's not clear where he's hiding out. On the military side, Hamas terrorists are directed by Mohammed Daif. Some reports suggest he is hiding out in Gaza's network of tunnels. Some suggest he's hiding abroad.
--:-- John Bickley: So, again, not much information there. We do know that Daif is a very secretive figure. There are only a handful of photos of him publicly available And one of those is just of his shadow He is reportedly behind Hamas Saturday terrorist attack on Israel He justified the attack which he called the Al flood saying it was revenge for alleged mistreatment of Muslims at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.
--:-- Tim Pierce: And then there is Yahya Senwar, who heads Hamas' political operation in Gaza.
--:-- John Bickley: So it sounds like they have a somewhat formal leadership structure. How are they recognized in the region and by the U.S.?
--:-- Tim Pierce: Well, they've been designated terrorist by the U.S., and the Israeli military has tried to kill these men for years. Former U.S. officials have said at least one of them, Hanye, is currently being provided safe haven in Qatar.
--:-- John Bickley: I'll note that Qatar was one of the first countries to condemn Israel for defending itself against Hamas terrorism, and the U.S. tasked Qatar with oversight of the $6 billion fund that the Biden administration traded to Iran, a close ally of Hamas.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Speaking of Iran, The Biden administration is now downplaying several recent reports that Iran had a large hand in the Hamas operation.
--:-- John Bickley: Here's National Security Spokesman John Kirby yesterday. Hamas wouldn't have been able to function at all had it not been for propping up by the Iranian regime. But we haven't seen any specific evidence that tells us they were witting, involved in the planning, or involved in the resourcing and the training that went into this very complex set of attacks over the weekend.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Now, Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Israel yesterday. What message is he expected to deliver in Jerusalem?
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, he'll be visiting Israel as well as Jordan over the next couple of days. Blinken's visit is largely expected to be a symbolic gesture in solidarity with Israel and its war against Hamas. It's also a warning to other hostile actors in the Middle East that the United States stands with Israel.
--:-- Tim Pierce: The State Department is also working on getting some Americans out of Israel, including some who are taken captive by Hamas. President Biden addressed that yesterday.
--:-- John Bickley: Folks, there's a lot we're doing. A lot we're doing. I have not given up hope. I'm bringing these folks home. But the idea that I'm going to stand here before you and tell you what I'm doing is bizarre.
--:-- Tim Pierce: According to the State Department, Blinken's trip is primarily about underscoring, quote, the United States' unwavering support for Israel's right to defend itself.
--:-- John Bickley: Well, hopefully a productive trip for all sides. Tim, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Tim Pierce: Great to be on.
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--:-- John Bickley: This week, new details were made public in the indictment of Republican Congressman George Santos, who now faces federal charges related to wire fraud, identity theft, and election crimes.
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--:-- John Bickley: Here with more on the case against the embattled lawmaker and how he's responding is Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: All right, we've got formal charges against Santos. Give us some context here. How did we get to this point?
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, so since taking office last year, New York Republican George Santos has been just a lightning rod for controversy. Prior to the 2020 election, hardly anyone had heard of him, but he quickly gained notoriety after winning a seat on Long Island that most experts considered out of reach for the GOP.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Overnight, Santos became a crucial part of securing the party's majority, and he was touted as the first openly gay Republican elected to Congress. But within days of his nomination, Santos drew attention for very different reasons.
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, and that's where this indictment comes in. Right. So during his campaign, there were reports that Santos had embellished his resume or exaggerated elements of his life story here or there. But it wasn't until after his election that the full scope of his deceit became known In September of 2022 Santos reported an enormous increase in his net worth from the year before reporting total assets worth million That set off an investigation from a local paper in New York which started an avalanche It soon came out that Santos had lied about his college education. He had falsely claimed employment as a high-ranking employee at Goldman Sachs and embellished stories about his family, including that his grandparents had fled the Holocaust.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: And according to a New York Times report, Santos was charged with check fraud in Brazil back in 2008. He had operated a fraudulent animal rights charity, pocketing money intended for service dogs for veterans. And he'd also secured large campaign donations from donors who appear to not exist.
--:-- John Bickley: But all of that was somehow just the tip of the iceberg. That reporting set off a flurry of investigations at the state and federal level, which have now resulted in a number of serious charges.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, so he's in very hot water with prosecutors. Yeah, that is putting it lightly. Tell us more about these specific charges.
--:-- John Bickley: Well, according to prosecutors, in addition to lying about his resume, Santos broke a number of federal election laws by using campaign funds for personal expenses, including designer clothing, cars, and fancy restaurants. He's also charged with wire fraud. According to the indictment, Santos stole the identities of campaign donors and, get this, used their credit cards to repeatedly make fraudulent donations to his campaign.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: In one incident, Santos allegedly donated nearly $50,000 to himself from an oblivious donor, and much of that money was then transferred to his personal bank account. Santos is also charged with filing false campaign reports with the FEC and Republican Party as part of an effort to meet fundraising thresholds required for support from the RNC.
--:-- John Bickley: In one particularly brazen incident, Santos' campaign staff impersonated Kevin McCarthy's chief of staff on phone calls in order to raise additional funds. And to make matters worse for Santos, his former campaign treasurer pleaded guilty last week to a fraud conspiracy charge. She admitted to investigators that she helped her boss embellish financial documents and gave them all sorts of details about the alleged scheme.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Sounds almost like a badly written Hollywood script. So what about Santos? How has he responded to these allegations?
--:-- John Bickley: Well, he was first arrested for the alleged scheme back in January and then released on half a million dollar bond after pleading not guilty. These latest charges, though, come as part of a superseding indictment to that case. So they added on extra charges. And Santos is again maintaining his innocence, claiming that he will refuse to step down and will push forward with his re-election campaign.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: But whether he wants to step down or not, there is growing pressure from his party to Alistair. Right. We've seen increased calls for his removal. Tell us about that battle.
--:-- John Bickley: So earlier in the year, Democrats sought to expel him from Congress, but Republicans actually voted against the resolution, which kept him in place. Now, ordinarily, you'd assume GOP leaders would simply give him the boot, but they're in a delicate political spot here. Given their razor-thin majority, they can hardly afford to give up a seat to Democrats.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: While a number of GOP members have called for his ouster, party leadership has been mostly silent on Santos for the last year or so. They've ignored questions about him or said that New York voters should decide his fate. And there is a good chance they will. On Tuesday, Tom Suozzi, who previously held that seat, announced that he would run again against Santos in 2024. He now joins a crowded primary field for Democrats.
--:-- John Bickley: But it's clear more broadly that Democrat leadership smells blood in the water here. They're already pouring money into the district and view it as a clear pickup opportunity for 2024. So even if Santos avoids jail time or removal from Congress, he faces an uphill re-election battle.
--:-- Cabot Phillips: Yeah, no doubt about that. And Cabot, thanks for reporting.
--:-- John Bickley: Anytime. Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.
