Mitch McConnell is not wading into the House speaker’s race. He does have one piece of advice, though.

“I hope whoever the next speaker is gets rid of the motion to vacate,” the minority leader said Wednesday afternoon. He added that it makes the job “impossible.”

The current House rules allow a single member to force a referendum on the speaker, which is precisely how Kevin McCarthy lost the speakership. And McConnell has a vested interest in that not happening again: He spent plenty of time building a relationship with McCarthy.

McConnell praised McCarthy for avoiding a government shutdown and debt default, saying the ousted speaker should be proud of his term. And now McConnell has to get to know a fourth GOP speaker in his time as Senate Republican leader.

As if to verbally underline his point, McConnell repeated his House counsel: “I hope whoever emerges insists on getting rid of the motion to vacate.”

Related posts:

Greene visits Holocaust Museum as House girds for retaliatory censure fight Dem Senate panels demand answers on Biden’s ‘failures’ in Afghanistan Jan. 6 committee vows strong Pentagon oversight after Milley-Trump revelations Vulnerable House Dems tee off on DCCC Opinion | The Undemocratic Assault on Marjorie Taylor Greene Sen. Murphy: More Republicans engaged ‘than ever before’ on gun reform Kinzinger: Not clear what will happen if Trump refuses to testify Dems urge Biden to ‘reverse course’ on Title 42 Senate leaders are trying to skate around conservative opposition to move forward on a package of funding bills. Hakeem Jeffries is set to meet with the centrist Problem Solvers Caucus. House GOP punts a key vote on spending plan as rebellion continues A field guide to the House GOP’s latest dysfunction