Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) Got under the skin of some of his fellow Republicans, causing him to walk out of the House room after saying that his support for Kevin McCarthy to be House speaker is rooted in his prodigious fundraising.
Coming amid a now four-day standoff over who will pick up the speaker’s gavel, Gaetz’s comments showed anger from McCarthy supporters, House GOP leaders, and some of his holdouts.
When nominating Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) again as an alternative to McCarthy, Gaetz took issue with McCarthy’s belief that he has obtained the position of speaker and said McCarthy will not have the votes he needed on Saturday or “next week, next month, next year.”
“One must wonder, Madam Clerk, is this an exercise in vanity? For someone who has done the math, taken the counts, and put this institution through something that can really be avoided?
Gaetz said McCarthy owes his support among fellow Republicans to his fundraising prowess.
“They believe that Mr. McCarthy has earned his position as speaker of the House because he raised half a billion dollars to elect Republicans.”
“One must wonder, Madam Clerk, is this an exercise in vanity? For someone who has done the math, taken the counts, and put this institution through something that can really be avoided?
– Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.)
At that point, Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.) stood up and began yelling at Gaetz that he was out of line. “This is not going to bring anybody” to Gaetz’s side, shouted Bost, wagging his finger.
After Bost was killed, Gaetz continued, calling McCarthy “the special LeBron James fundraiser in this town. There’s no one better.”
At that point, some Republicans began to leave their seats and leave the room.
Gaetz’s comments may have backfired. After the speech, in the 12th and 13th votes on electing the speaker, McCarthy came the closest to getting the necessary votes, with more than a dozen supporters switching sides in favor of him.