House Republicans gave Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) a standing ovation on Wednesday as he continues to fight off media and Democrats ahead of the pivotal midterm elections.

McCarthy spoke before the House Republican Conference to give a “full-throated defense” of the New York Times tapes released recently.

During the address, he said he floated various scenarios about then-President Donald Trump’s future in the wake of the January 6 protests. He emphasized the tapes released recently by the establishment outlet were selective and missing crucial context; he emphasized that these tapes should not divide Republicans as they remain poised to take back the House in November.

Republicans appeared to accept his defense and gave him a standing ovation in reaction to his speech before the body of House Republicans.

One senior GOP aide told Breitbart News this drama was being stoked by the establishment and Republicans will quickly move on.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) delivers remarks during the Fourth Congressional Hackathon in the auditorium of the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center on April 06, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

“The mainstream media loves nothing more than to stoke drama between House Republicans — even when nothing is there. Everyone in their right mind knows McCarthy is fine and this will blow over quickly,” the senior GOP aide said.

One Republican source told the Washington Post McCarthy will be Speaker if Republicans take the House because “he’s widely supported.”
Other Republicans seemed to suggest only the media cares about this issue.
Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN), the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), said on Tuesday, “Nobody cares about that. … Nobody but the media and journalists.”
“It’s a distraction that some New York Times reporters would rather report on things that Americans don’t care about, instead of focusing on what’s causing the inflation, which is the reckless spending these guys are doing,” Emmer added. “Those are the issues. The tape’s not.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaks during a ceremony for the late Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, as he lies in state in Statuary Hall on Capitol in Washington, DC, 29 March 2022. ( JABIN BOTSFORD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, said the audio tapes of McCarthy were a “nothingburger” that was taken out of context.
“They were talking about if they had the impeachment hearings, and he was impeached,”Rogers said, referring to Trump.
Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL) said, “The RINOs engineering this story to promote their own selfish agenda won’t be around next year to prop up the Democrats’ destructive Big Government scheme.”

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, said, “I’m for Donald Trump being the next president and Kevin McCarthy being the next speaker.”

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.