Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida on Wednesday cheered the departure of former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, saying the “establishment exodus” from the GOP conference in Congress is underway.
Announcing his resignation effective Dec. 31, McCarthy said on Wednesday that he was moving on “to serve America in new ways.”
Gaetz, who engineered McCarthy’s downfall as the top House Republican roughly two months ago, had a different take. McCarthy, the Fort Walton Beach Republican said, clearly indicated that “if he cannot run the place and be speaker, then he will leave.”
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Gaetz noted that McCarthy’s departure came one day after North Carolina Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry tendered his resignation, effective at the end of his term in 2025.
McHenry served as interim speaker until current Speaker Mike Johnson took over after McCarthy was voted out.
“It’s my hope that we backfill these establishment, lobbyist-drawn entities with folks who are willing to fight for the America First agenda, to reduce wars, to get us out of these bad trade deals, to stop illegal immigration that is overrunning our country, and … to provide a check on the Biden administration that continues to spend us into oblivion and more debt, and to defang this weaponized government that’s been turned against our fellow Americans,” Gaetz said during his “Firebrand” podcast.
“Kevin McCarthy was not useful in that fight.”
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Gaetz also noted the hard reality facing Republicans at this juncture;. McCarthy’s “unwillingness to stay and vote for even the most basic Republican priorities until the end of his term may imperil our ability to get the job done.”
Gaetz pointed out that by expelling New York Republican Rep. George Santos last week, something most Republicans opposed, and with another potential departure, the GOP will soon hold just a one-seat majority in the House.
“I sure hope everyone eats their veggies and stays healthy over the [Christmas] break,” Gaetz quipped, “otherwise this thing could tip the balance back to the Democrats.”
Gaetz also took exception to comments that he was to blame for McCarthy leaving. He suggested McCarthy’s ego prevented him from accepting a return to the role of backbencher.
“This is not an act of patriotism or moving on to the next fight,” said Gaetz. “It is an act of abject selfishness. And it is revealing that if Kevin McCarthy cannot swing the gavel and be in charge and make the decisions, that he is not willing to be a team player.”
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