Insiders on McCarthy’s Ouster; Two Behind-the-Scenes Factors

WASHINGTON—Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) overly cautious approach to investigating allegations involving the Biden family and mismanaging the Republican congressional campaign in 2022 contributed to his historic ouster in October. His fall was precipitated by eight disaffected Republicans, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), acting in concert with the House minority of 212 Democrats. Mr. McCarthy has argued that he would still be speaker but for the intense personal animosity of Mr. Gaetz. “Mr. Speaker, you boasted in January that we would use the power of the subpoena and the power of the purse,” Mr. Gaetz said in a Sept. 12 floor speech, noting the excessive caution in the Biden probe. “But here we are eight months later and we haven’t even sent the first subpoena to Hunter Biden.”...