The GOP is trying to move on from it’s recent infighting in the House. But this politician has no interest in mending relationships.
And a Republican congressman went on CNN and started throwing punches.
Turmoil struck the U.S. House last month after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) led a successful effort to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as speaker of the House.
McCarthy and Gaetz have had their disagreements in the past, but this one topped them all.
And now the former speaker is trying to get revenge on Gaetz after a proposal he announced on CNN.
Last Thursday, McCarthy told anchor Manu Raju of CNN’s Inside Politics, that the Republican Party would be in a much better place if Gaetz were to lose his seat in Congress.
“Matt Gaetz, you’ve been mentioning a lot. How much will the Republican Party benefit if he were no longer a member of the House, in your opinion?” Raju inquired.
“Oh, tremendously. People have to earn the right to be here. And I just think, he will admit to you personally, he doesn’t have a conservative bent in his philosophy. And just the nature of what he focuses on,” McCarthy answered.
CNN’s @mkraju: “Matt Gaetz, you've been mentioning a lot. How much would the Republican Party benefit if he were no longer a member of the House, in your opinion?”
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA): “Tremendously.” pic.twitter.com/UgagJJnkWe
— The Recount (@therecount) November 9, 2023
McCarthy also went on to explain to Raju that in order for things to heal within the House GOP, it would be best if consequences were served to Gaetz, such as expulsion.
“Do you think the House GOP should consider expelling him,” Raju asked of Gaetz.
“That’s up to the conference but I don’t believe the conference would ever heal if there’s no consequences for the action,” responded McCarthy.
The California congressman is in no way over what happened to him last month when he was forced to give up the gavel.
He’s obviously still very angry at what his fellow Republican peers did to him.
Reps. Nancy Mace (R-SC) and Tim Burchett (R-TN) were two of the eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy.
And their actions shocked the former speaker, leading him to tell Raju that “It just didn’t – it seemed out of nature. But they seemed to have changed during the time. They care a lot about press, not about policy. So they seem to just want the press, personality.”
McCarthy also hinted that Mace’s “flip-flopping” on issues will contribute to her losing reelection.
“I mean if you watched, just her philosophy and the flip-flopping, I don’t believe she wins reelection. I don’t think she will probably have earned the right to get reelected. I think you look at the district yourself, yes,” McCarthy told Raju.
It looks like relationships aren’t going to be resolved anytime soon between Kevin McCarthy and the Republicans who turned against him.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
