GOP’s McCarthy has little incentive to work with Jan. 6 panel

With his eye on the Speaker’s gavel, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has almost no political incentive to cooperate with the special Jan. 6 committee.

Doing so would infuriate former President Trump and his far-right allies in Congress, and make it much harder for McCarthy to win an internal election as Speaker if the GOP wins back the House majority this fall.

Yet there are also risks for McCarthy to keep quiet about his conversations with Trump before and during the violent attack, as it will give Democrats and even some Republicans the opportunity to inflict damage on the GOP leader, weakening McCarthy as he struggles to maintain control of his raucous caucus during a critical stretch for his party.