McCarthy says he will leave Congress at the end of the year

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California, who made history as the first speaker to be removed from office, announced Wednesday that he would leave the House of Representatives at the end of this year but said he planned to remain involved in the Republican politics.

“I will continue to recruit our country’s best and brightest to run for elected office,” McCarthy said in a speech. op-ed in The Wall Street Journal announce his plans. “The Republican Party is expanding every day and I am committed to using my experience to support the next generation of leaders.”

Mr. McCarthy’s impending departure will shrink the already slim Republican majority, which fell from four to three seats last week with the expulsion of Rep. George Santos of New York.

After being ousted from the speakership in October, Mr. McCarthy gave an unclear answer about whether he would remain in Congress. “I’ll take a look at that,” he said then. Later, in an effort to quell reports and rumors that he would leave immediately, he told reporters that he was staying and even planned to run for re-election.

But his position as a regular member of the House of Representatives, side by side with the Republicans who voted to remove him from power, had become untenable, and Mr. McCarthy found the experience incredibly painful. His closest allies on the Hill have been anticipating his impending departure for weeks, even as he dodges questions about his future.

Mr. McCarthy’s announcement came just days before California’s Dec. 8 filing deadline to run for re-election.

Mr. McCarthy was first elected to Congress in 2007.

This is a development story. Check back for updates.