>>> FOR KEVIN MCCARTHY, 218 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER, THOSE ARE THE
VOTES HE NEEDS TO BECOME HOUSE SPEAKER WHEN REPUBLICANS TAKE
OVER IN JANUARY BUT WITH A SLIM MARGIN HE'S GOING TO NEED EVERY
VOTE HE CAN GET. IT'S GETTING TOUGHER.
FIVE REPUBLICANS SIGNALLED THEY PLAN TO OPPOSE McCARTHY FOR
SPEAKER. WHEN HE WAS ON THE SOUTHERN
BORDER HE SAID THEY MIGHT IMPEACH THE HOMELAND SECURITY
SECRETARY IF HE DOES NOT RESIGN FIRST.
>> IF SECRETARY MAYOR KAS DOES NOT RESIGN, HOUSE REPUBLICANS
WILL INVESTIGATE EVERY ORDER, EVERY ACTION, AND EVERY FAILURE
TO DETERMINE WHETHER WE CAN BEGIN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY.
>> WE HAVE A PLAN, WE'VE BEEN PUTTING THAT FORWARD.
McCARTHY HAS NO PLAN. THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS NO
PLAN. THEY DO NOTHING EXCEPT DO
POLITICAL STUNTS. >> WE SHOULD NOTE THE DHS
SPOKESMAN SAID MAYORKAS HAS NO PLAN TO RESIGN.
WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS FOR KEVIN McCARTHY WAND
IT'S NOT CLEAR CUT WHAT THE PATH LOOKS LIE.
WHAT'S THE CONVERSATION ON CAPITOL HILL RIGHT NOW?
>> Reporter: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE NUMBERS GAME.
YOU AS YOU MENTIONED HE NEEDS 218 VOTES TO BE SPEAKER BUT
KEVIN McCARTHY IS PREDICTING HE HAS 222 REPUBLICANS TOTAL IN THE
HOUSE. WHICH DOING THE MATH HE CAN ONLY
AFFORD TO LOSE FOUR REPUBLICANS IN THE SPEAKERS RACE.
HOWEVER A FIFTH REPUBLICAN CAME OUT AND SAID HE'S GOING TO
OPPOSE McCARTHY ON THE FLOOR VOTE IN JANUARY.
TAKE A LISTEN. >> A GROWING NUMBER OF US WHO
HAVE LOST FAITH THAT McCARTHY CAN DO THE JOB.
THE SPEAKER IS THE MOST IMPORTANT POSITION AT THIS TIME
IN THIS COUNTRY. >> Reporter: SO WHAT THAT MEANS
KAITLAN IS KEVIN McCARTHY IS GOING TO HAVE TO CONVINCE ONE OF
THOSE MEMBERS TO CHANGE THEIR MINDS OR CONVINCE TO NOT SHOW UP
TO THE VOTE WHICH WOULD LOWER THE NUMBER HE NEEDS TO BE
SPEAKER AND KEVIN McCARTHY BETTER HOPE THERE'S NOT MORE
REPUBLICANS WHERE THOSE CAME FROM.
>> WE KNOW THERE'S AN EFFORT TO PUT MORE REPUBLICANS ON THE
LIST. HAS McCARTHY RESPONDED TO THIS?
ANYONE'S NAME SUGGESTED TO TAKEOVER IF HE DOESN'T SECURE
THE VOTES TO BE SPEAKER? >> NO ONE WOULD OUTRIGHT
CHALLENGE HIM BUT STEVE SCALISE, JIM BANKS.
NONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WOULD CHALLENGE KEVIN McCARTHY.
KEVIN McCARTHY HIMSELF HAS BEEN MEETING PRIVATELY WITH SOME OF
HIS CRITICS. HE'S BEEN MAKING PHONE CALLS.
HE HAS NOT CUT ANY DEALS JUST YET.
I EXPECT THOSE TO COME IN THE COMING WEEKS.
BUT HE'S TRYING TO PUBLICALLY SHOW HIS CRITICS WHAT SORT OF
LEADER HE WOULD BE. HE WAS ON THE SOUTHERN BORDER
YESTERDAY THREATENING SECRETARY MAYORKAS WITH IMPEACHMENT.
CLEARLY THOSE COMMENTS WERE DESIGNED TO WIN OVER CRITICS.
>> IT IS GOING TO BE AN INTERESTING JANUARY.
WE HAVE A FEW WEEKS AHEAD. >> YOU KNOW WHO I THINK WE
SHOULD BRING IN TALK ABOUT THIS? CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AND
HOST OF "SMERCONISH" LUCKILY HIS NAME IS MICHAEL SMERCONISH.
GOOD MORNING, MICHAEL. WHAT'S GOING ON WITH KEVIN
McCARTHY? DOES HE HAVE THE VOTES AND WHAT
HE DID AT THE BORDER, IS IT A STUNT?
SHOULD THEY BE TALKING MORE ABOUT PRACTICAL, REAL SOLUTIONS
TO THE IMMIGRATION CRISIS? >> DON, I THINK IT'S ALL
RELATED. I THINK THE REASON HE'S ON THE
BORDER IS BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. HIS DESIRE TO BE THE NEXT
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE. I THINK THAT KEVIN McCARTHY HAS
THE WORST ODDS OF BEING THE NEXT HOUSE SPEAKER EXCEPT FOR ALL THE
OTHER REPUBLICANS BECAUSE YOU CAN'T BEAT SOMEBODY WITH NOBODY.
SO WHEN THE QUESTION BECOMES IF NOT KEVIN McCARTHY, WHO?
THERE'S REALLY NO NAME YOU CAN FILL IN THE BLANK THAT YOU'LL BE
ABLE TO HERD A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF CATS TO GET TO THE 218 OR
WHATEVER THE NUMBER MIGHT BE BECAUSE THEY VOTE BY SURNAME, IT
COULD BE 216. I DON'T SEE ANYONE WHO COULD
DENY HIM. >> YOU SAY HE HAS THE WORST ODDS
BUT THINK HE'S GOING TO BE SPEAKER?
>> IT'S MY WEAK ATTEMPT AT A PUN.
HE HAS THE WORST ODDS EXCEPT FOR ALL THE OTHERS BECAUSE I DON'T
SEE ANYBODY WITH BETTER ODDS THAN HE DOES.