Former President Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) spoke on the phone on Thursday after a recently released tape showed that the lawmaker planned to ask Trump to resign over the Jan. 6 deadly insurrection, the Washington Post reports and Axios has confirmed.
State of play: During the conversation, Trump did not seem upset about the contents of the tape and was thankful that McCarthy did not actually urge him to step down, per the Post.
- Trump has yet to make a public statement on the audio leak.
Between the lines: New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns' new book "This Will Not Pass" also reveals that during a call on Jan. 10, 2021, McCarthy told other GOP leaders that he wished tech companies like Twitter would remove some of the party's members from their platforms.
- This comment in particular has angered some within the GOP.
Catch up fast: The tape is a recording of a call between McCarthy and other members of his leadership team, including Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.).
- Cheney asks McCarthy if he thinks Trump might resign, to which he responds: "[T]he only discussion I would have with him is that I think this [impeachment resolution] will pass, and it would be my recommendation you should resign. I mean, that would be my take. But I don't think he would take it."
What's next: Martin and Burns' book is set to come out May 3, and the authors have already warned they have more on tape.
Go deeper: Tape shows McCarthy said he would urge Trump to resign
