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House GOP leader McCarthy officially endorses Elise Stefanik to replace Liz Cheney

09 May 2021
Dan Ackermann

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) officially endorsed Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to become the GOP's next House Republican conference chair during a Fox News appearance Sunday.

Why it matters: The GOP has been feuding internally over the fate of the current chair, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), because of her criticisms of former President Donald Trump, and her vote to impeach him for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Flashback: Axios reported last week that McCarthy was caught on a hot mic trashing Cheney, saying he had "had with her."

Thank you @GOPLeader for your endorsement for House GOP Conference Chair.

Together, as one team, we will stand up for the American people and #FIREPelosi in 2022. pic.twitter.com/zUhv1h4K71

— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) May 9, 2021

What they're saying: McCarthy on Sunday said the GOP needs to be "united", and that the chair, who is the third-highest ranking member of the party in the House, should be a messenger for the party.

  • "[W]e are in one of our biggest battles ever for this nation and the direction, whether this next century will be ours," McCarthy said.
  • “We need a conference chair that is delivering that message day in and day out and uniting the nation,” he added.
  • "Yes I do," he said when asked if he supported Stefanik for the position.

Go deeper:Trump's iron grip over the GOP has been institutionalized

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.