House Republicans are meeting this morning after California Congressmember Kevin McCarthy abruptly withdrew from the race for House speaker, throwing Congress into disarray. McCarthy’s withdrawal came as he faced increasing pressure from the right-wing faction of his party. He has also come under fire after suggesting the Benghazi oversight House committee had been set up to discredit former secretary of state and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
He announced his decision Thursday.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy: “I think there’s something to be said, for us to unite, we probably need a fresh face. I’ll stay on as majority leader. But the one thing I’ve found in talking to everybody: If we are going to unite and be strong, we need a new face to help do that.”

Two right-wing members of the Republican Party, Utah Congressmember Jason Chaffetz and Florida Congressmember Daniel Webster, are seeking the position of House speaker.