The continuing battle among Republicans over electing a new House speaker now seems to have devolved into a kindergarten playground squabble.
As of Thursday, 22 Republicans have voted against making House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan the new GOP speaker, thus denying him the post for a while longer.
Yet, according to The Daily Caller, some of the 22 votes against Jordan are really being directed against Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Jordan supporter who engineered the toppling of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
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Four Florida Republicans are among the 22 dissidents: Reps. Vern Buchanan of Sarasota, Mario Diaz-Balart of Miami, Carlos Gimenez of Miami, and John Rutherford of Jacksonville.
“Many Republicans who are voting for Jordan and also voted to remove McCarthy as Speaker are saying they believe it could be seen as a win for Gaetz if someone such as Jordan was elected Speaker, instead of a more moderate candidate such as House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who dropped out of the race to support Jordan,” the Caller reported.
Arizona Republican Rep. Andy Biggs told the Caller, “I have been told by a good number of people that their objection isn’t personal to Jim, it is that voting in Jordan is perceived to be rewarding Matt Gaetz and the rest of the eight. Others have indicated that some of Jim’s supporters wouldn’t support Scalise and so the holdouts won’t support Jordan.”
South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, one of the eight who helped Democrats oust McCarthy, told the Caller some GOP lawmakers who oppose Jordan” do so “purely to spite Matt Gaetz.” She called such a tactic “disgraceful.”
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Rep. Bob Good of Virginia told the Caller, “I’ll resist trying to apply my opinion on what their motivations might be. But obviously, there are members of our conference who are disappointed or disapprove of how or why we got to this point.”
In response to those comments, Gaetz, a Fort Walton Beach Republican, told the Caller, The only people being punished are their constituents. Republican voters across the country are united behind Jim Jordan.”
On X (formerly Twitter), Gaetz added, “Ever seen a SWAMP actually drained? This Florida Man has. It’s not orderly. Turns out, the alligators & snakes get unruly when the comfort of their habitat is disrupted. Chaos doesn’t scare me. American decline does. Our fight continues. Thank you for having my back!”
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