Utah Gov. Cox says Kevin McCarthy’s ouster by Republicans is an ‘embarrassment to our country’

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox expressed annoyance at the chaos engulfing Republicans in Washington, D.C., as they struggle to elect a new speaker of the house following the ouster of Kevin McCarthy.

“I think it’s an embarrassment to our country. It’s an embarrassment to my party that they can’t seek and find some sort of consensus,” Cox said during a news conference on Thursday. “The sense of urgency should be driving this. I think there should be an overwhelming sense of urgency,” Cox said.

McCarthy, a California Republican, was removed as speaker two weeks ago at the hands of fellow Republicans who were angry he worked with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown.

The GOP majority has been unable to find consensus on his replacement. Both House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Rep. Jim Jordan have failed to win enough support to become speaker. Until a new speaker is chosen, Congress is effectively paralyzed and unable to confront urgent issues, including another potential government shutdown in less than a month and the conflict in Israel.

Cox said Republicans have no one to blame for the current situation but themselves, adding their inability to rally behind someone to succeed McCarthy would likely require them to work with Democrats to find a way past the logjam.

“(A solution) doesn’t look like the eight people who got us into this mess in the first place,” he said. “That’s incredibly frustrating, and we’re seeing the real-world consequences of that play out.”

Cox on Sean Reyes and Tim Ballard’s relationship

Cox tiptoed around questions about the close relationship between Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes and Tim Ballard, the anti-human trafficking activist who has been battered by allegations of inappropriate behavior and shady business dealings.

Ballard has been accused of sexual assault in a pair of lawsuits filed by six women. Those suits allege Ballard exploited the women’s trust and sexually assaulted them while they were assisting with Operation Underground Railroad, the anti-trafficking organization Ballard founded.

Reyes has championed Ballard and OUR for several years. Their relationship was so close that Reyes often referred to Ballard as his partner. Until recently, Reyes has touted himself as an associate producer on “Sound of Freedom,” the fictionalized film based on Ballard’s story.

Cox says “prosecutors would have the duty to investigate” the new allegations against Ballard contained in those lawsuits. Still, he’s not worried the close relationship between Reyes and Ballard might present any conflict of interest.

“Every Attorney General has lots of friends,” Cox told reporters. “Every once in a while, their friends get investigated by the attorney general’s office.”

“There’s a process they would go through. The attorney general has hired some incredible attorneys in his office, and I trust them to make that decision,” Cox said.

An internal memo from the attorney general’s office released as part of an open records request by The Salt Lake Tribune says Reyes and his chief of staff were effectively walled off from a criminal investigation into Ballard and Operation Underground Railroad conducted by the Davis County Attorney and the FBI. That investigation was closed in 2022 with no charges filed.

Reyes had planned to endorse Ballard as a candidate to replace Mitt Romney in the U.S. Senate next year. He has since backed away from Ballard following the revelations about his behavior.

“I’m sure this has been very hard for Sean and his family. We’ve had a lot of media people and famous people who have talked about how they felt like they were duped (by Ballard). That’s never an easy thing. I hope he (Reyes) can get through this difficult situation,” Cox said.

The controversy about Reyes and Ballard has given new life to a debate about whether Utah’s Attorney General should be elected or appointed by the governor.

“When you run for office in the criminal justice system, there is a little bit of a perverse incentive there. It’s why we don’t have judges run for office. In lots of states, judges have to get elected just like governors, mayors and city council members. But, we decided that because you’re dealing with criminal justice, you need to make sure that there is no undue influence there. I think it’s important to look at those incentives and make sure we’re getting the best outcomes,” Cox said.

Cox quickly added that any change would be unlikely since it requires altering Utah’s Constitution.