But the final leg of McCarthy's journey to the pinnacle of power could prove to be the most treacherous. "He shifted from friendly mode to 'stop f***ing around and hurting the conference' mode," said the second GOP House member. CNN spoke with more than two dozen Republicans, including current and former House members, Capitol Hill aides and political figures from California. The House conference McCarthy builtMcCarthy has been preparing for this moment for quite some time. "Nobody didn't like Kevin," said Jim Brulte, the former Republican leader in the state senate.

Source: CNN January 22, 2022 03:50 UTC