For years now, through controversy after controversy, House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY has bent over backward to stay in former President DONALD TRUMP’s good graces

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[{"selector":"#anim-743449a1-974e-441a-91b7-7089b0ea07b9 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(21.785714121887075%, 0%) scale(1.5)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":3500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7093115a-f7b8-4c53-b607-a6e7e38a95ed","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0e0ced1e-6dc5-4441-8e7d-60cf32744429","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-115.55555%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] On Thursday night, NYT’s Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns delivered an absolute stunner of a scoop: an audio recording of a phone call on Jan. 10, 2021

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On the call, Cheney now Trump’s Enemy No. 1, but at the time, the House GOP’s No. 3 leader asks McCarthy if Trump is going to resign.

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McCarthy responds: “I mean, you guys all know him, too do you think he’d ever back away? But what I think I’m going to do is I’m going to call him …

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The only discussion I would have with him is that I think this [impeachment resolution] will pass and it would be my recommendation you should resign.”

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THE BIG QUESTION NOW: IS MCCARTHY TOAST? We made a bunch of calls to top Republicans both on and

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[{"selector":"#anim-fdc2a7df-0ef4-4522-ada7-be6b1ae9dfbf [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-31.25808178282649%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4d2db23b-b460-47ea-8647-13e3a67ccb07","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-8cb3b7e8-f50f-4b82-aaf1-b6f1badf6310","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.3333333333333333)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] off the Hill on Thursday night, and there are two big things to watch here that could answer that question in the coming days