By David Morgan

WASHINGTON (Reuters] – Kevin McCarthy is the U.S. House of Representatives’ top Republican. An audio recording of McCarthy stating that Donald Trump’s Jan. 6th, 2021 Capitol riot should lead to him being fired from his position.

McCarthy denied the comments hours prior to the recordings being made. This could make it difficult for him to be the House speaker in the future, if the Republicans win control of the chamber during November’s midterm election.

Question for Kevin McCarthy: How can you really feel okay with these lies?” “Yes, others lie, but you claim to be fighting for a higher purpose,” Adam Kinzinger (Republican Representative) asked on Thursday evening via Twitter (NYSE:).

“Honestly Kevin. Was it worth it?”

Recorded days after Trump supporters stormed Capitol, the audio shows a conversation between McCarthy & Representative Liz Cheney. She was later removed from party leadership for her opposition to Trump.

McCarthy stated to Cheney that Trump would call him to discuss the 25th Amendment. This amendment, which was used by then-Vice President Mike Pence as well as members of Cabinet to remove the Republican president, allowed McCarthy to speak to Cheney.

McCarthy said in the recorded, which was released late Thursday night on MSNBC cable news channel.

McCarthy’s office didn’t respond on Friday to my query.

McCarthy’s first comment was mentioned in an earlier New York Times article, published on Thursday as part of the forthcoming book by two Times journalists.

The Times reported also that McCarthy said to other Republican leaders, he wanted big tech companies to take social media accounts away from lawmakers of the party who support Trump’s false claim of a rigged 2020 electoral election.

McCarthy denied initially the Times’ account, in a statement that called it “totally falsified and wrong.”

On Friday, another attack was made on McCarthy by Republican Representative Matt Gaetz. Gaetz is a strong Trump ally who is hard-line conservative and has actively opposed Cheney who is running in Wyoming for reelection. Gaetz also supported Trump’s impeachment of 2021 and joined the Democratic-led House Committee investigating the Jan.6 riot.

Gaetz tweeted, “While I was rallying against Liz Cheney in Wyoming… Kevin McCarthy was standing up for Liz Cheney in the House Republicans… You should have trusted me instincts and not yours,”

McCarthy has been criticised by other conservative hard-liners in his caucus. He first said that Trump was responsible for Jan. 6’s violence, but then he finally met Trump at Mar-a-Lago Resort home in Florida, and took a photo with him.