McCarthy to Retire from Congress After Tumultuous Speaker Bid
• Kevin McCarthy announces he will retire from Congress at the end of December after serving as a representative since 2006.
• McCarthy was removed as House Speaker in October after agreeing to a rule allowing a single member to trigger a no-confidence vote.
• His departure leaves Republicans with a slim 7-seat majority that will shrink further with upcoming special elections.
• McCarthy went through "stages of grief" after his ouster and did not want to make a rash decision about leaving.
• He has openly criticized some of the Republicans who voted to remove him, questioning if they deserve reelection.