Bannon credits Dem Jeffries for playing McCarthy like a fiddle during debt negotiations

Conservative commentator Steve Bannon tipped his hat to the leading House Democrat who dog-walked his Republican counterpart Speaker Kevin McCarthy in negotiations over the debt ceiling, giving a major win to President Joe Biden who took a victory lap in an Oval Office address on Friday.

McCarthy, who assumed the gavel as Nancy Pelosi’s replacement earlier this year, angered conservative members of his caucus for the agreement with Biden, a deal that one GOP lawmaker, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas colorfully described as a “turd sandwich” that was served up by the speaker and the D.C. uniparty.

On Friday’s edition of “War Room,” the former Trump White House advisor offered up his expert take on the deal with praise for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) for his mastery over McCarthy.

(Video: Grabien)

“Hakeem Jeffries had to come down, by the way, Hakeem Jeffries, who’s now Majority Leader. Hakeem Jeffries had to come to the floor, waited strategically, and Hakeem Jeffries. Do you think Biden played this smart? He’s the man. He’s the man. He’s the man,” Bannon said, glowingly praising the New York City leftist.

“Kevin McCarthy’s his b-tch,” he added, apologizing to the audience for his raw language.

“Ok, I hate. I know. I know. We go to a lot of homeschoolers and I, you know, hopefully, we can bleep that out and maybe it’s too late,” he said. “But let me just be blunt. Hakeem Jeffries, the power moves he made were spectacular.”

Bannon was referring to the Dem leader’s strategic outfoxing of McCarthy, a man desperate to make a deal, by waiting as long as possible to give the OK for his members to go to the floor to vote, a tactic to get as many Republicans to vote “yea” on ingesting the “turd sandwich” as possible.

“And after hanging back, more than 50 Democrats bucked convention to deliver the last-minute votes to push the rule over the finish line,” The Hill reported on Jeffries’ humiliation of McCarthy.

“Before the vote closed, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) held up a green card in an apparent signal of approval for his members to change their votes and help Republicans pass the rule. Democratic members flooded the Well of the House to manually change their votes after voting electronically — though Jeffries remained a ‘nay,’” the outlet added.

“Extreme MAGA Republicans voted against House Republican leadership on a bill that they negotiated. That is stunning to me,” Jeffries told reporters after the vote, twisting the knife that he stuck into his bamboozled GOP counterpart. “And once again, House Democrats to the rescue to avoid a dangerous default and help House Republicans get legislation over the finish line.”

McCarthy’s first big test as Speaker cost him dearly in the eyes of many of his fellow Republicans who saw their criticism of him as an ineffective and feckless leader validated, but the big winners were Biden and Jeffries, “the man” who could replace the weakened Speaker if Republicans can’t hold onto the House next year.

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Chris Donaldson

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