OAN’s Brooke Mallory
3:51 PM – Sunday, October 8, 2023
According to Rep. Matt Gaetz, who spearheaded the effort to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy from the top leadership position last week, said it would be “absolutely” worth it for him to lose his own seat in Congress due to his recent efforts.
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“Absolutely,” Gaetz (R-Fla.) said when NBC’s Kristen Welker asked him if the effort to oust McCarthy (R-Calif.) was worth it. “Look, I am here to fight for my constituents. And I’m here to ensure that America is not on a path to financial ruin.”
Gaetz played a key role in McCarthy’s removal from the Speaker’s position last week.
He had been threatening to do so for months due to McCarthy’s arrangement with Democrats to prevent a government shutdown and because of McCarthy’s advocacy of continuous funding for Ukraine.
“The reason Kevin McCarthy went down today is because nobody trusts Kevin McCarthy,” said Gaetz after the vote.
McCarthy was the first Speaker in American history to be removed when eight Republicans combined with the majority of Democrats to do so. However, some representatives refrained from voting.
Now, a meeting of the House GOP is scheduled for this week to elect a new speaker.
Despite the fact that McCarthy won the Speakership election in January after 15 rounds of voting over five days, Gaetz projected that the selection process would not take a week this time.
He also said that the idea suggested by some Republicans to have him removed from Congress was “crazy,” adding that he had received roughly 70% of the vote in his area to be elected.
“Not only do we have a clear replacement, we have two. We have two men who are incredibly respected,” Gaetz responded, possibly referring to GOP Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Steve Scalise (R-La.)
However, Gaetz refrained from specifically naming or endorsing any candidate on Sunday.
Ever since, McCarthy has maintained that he will not run for Speaker of the House again. Yet, Jordan and Scalise have both voiced that they are willing to take on the position.
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), who was appointed by McCarthy himself, is currently serving as the temporary Speaker of the House until a new speaker is named.
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