California Congressman Kevin McCarthy said that he is not resigning after rumors circulated that he was considering ending his term early.
Sources close to the matter have confirmed that he will seek reelection following his current term.
McCarthy was recently removed from the speaker’s chair in a historic House vote, and it is currently unclear who will take his place.
Some lawmakers have suggested former President Donald Trump as an interim speaker, but the former president has already expressed his support for Ohio Representative Jim Jordan.
Republican senators worried that McCarthy’s ousting could create chaos in the House as Congress approaches its November 17 deadline to pass a bipartisan spending bill.
However, Rep. Matt Gaetz on Thursday responded to critics, even many on the right, who asserted that the GOP rebels had no plan for the Republican House majority after the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy this week.
“Here’s the plan: Rip the Band-Aid off. Remove McCarthy. Then the next step of the plan has to be to install someone who is more conservative and more effective as a fighter,” the Fort Walton Beach Republican told columnist Jason Whitlock of The Blaze.
Gaetz then noted that in the immediate aftermath of McCarthy’s removal from the speaker’s chair the first two options to announce for his seat were Reps. Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio.
“I don’t think there’s a single American who would argue that Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise are more conservative and more dogged fighters than the former speaker,” Gaetz continued.
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“When we get that person in place, then we have to really advance the power of the subpoena and the power of the purse.”
As an example of McCarthy’s ineffectiveness, he noted to Whitlock that nine months after McCarthy became speaker, Hunter Biden has yet to be subpoenaed by Congress for his shady business deals, which may implicate President Joe Biden in an influence-peddling scheme.
In contrast, Donald Trump Jr. was subpoenaed to appear before Congress at least three times in his father’s first 2 ½ years in office because of the alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 election, which turned out to be a hoax cooked up by Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
Gaetz praised Scalise and Jordan as “great men” and “amazing men of family and faith” who are strongly supported by House Republicans.
“Either of those men would be the next step in the plan,” said Gaetz.
Gaetz praised both and indicated he did not have a preference between either Scalise or Jordan.
His support, he said, would come down to spending and whoever wants to end Congress governing by rubber-stamping continuing resolutions and massive omnibus budget bills.
“I’m really heartened to know we’ve got two amazing choices, two amazing men,” he told Whitlock.
Unlike with McCarthy, Gaetz added, he knows Scalise and Jordan well enough that he doesn’t need to “extract” a promise from them to “know that they are going to put the people of this country first.”
Gaetz also shot back at critics who claimed he led the drive to oust McCarthy because he wanted personal fame, and added that he is ready to absorb the additional criticism.
“At the end of the day, we just gotta save the country,” he told Whitlock. “It is America that must endure, and I want to do my part to make sure she does.”
For his part, Whitlock said he appreciated the “Gaetzful 8” who voted to eject McCarthy.
“You guys are speaking for the people, and we need that,” Whitlock said. “You’re a breath of fresh air and a ray of hope.”
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