Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz escalated his feud with Kevin McCarthy, calling the House speaker “McFailure” and warning he would vote to remove him from office “over and over again until it works » unless concessions are made.
This came after McCarthy announced a formal impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden on Tuesday, which will examine whether he was improperly influenced by the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden, as the Republican right has long demanded . However, Gaetz is demanding more concessions from McCarthy, including obtaining subpoenas for Hunter, fully releasing footage recorded during the U.S. Capitol riot, ensuring a balanced budget and term limits for members of Congress.
McCarthy was only elected president by Republican representatives after 15 rounds of voting in January, during which he made a series of promises to appease extremists such as Gaetz. That included promising to change the House rules so that any GOP representative could file a “rescission motion,” which would force McCarthy out of the speaker’s office if passed.
In May, McCarthy angered some conservatives by negotiating a deal with President Biden that raised the debt ceiling, averting a possible U.S. default on its debts.
Gaetz stepped up his attack on McCarthy on Thursday, posting on X, formerly Twitter: “President McCarthy believes in NOTHING except money and power. In football when the team doesn’t win the games they supposed to win, she fires the coach. company, when a company doesn’t reach its projected profits, the board gets rid of the CEO. I’ve had enough of McFailure. What about you?
News week contacted Gaetz and McCarthy’s offices for comment via email and phone call, respectively.
Kevin Dietsch/Drew Angerer/GETTY
Also on Thursday, Gaetz posted footage of a speech he gave at a vigil held to show solidarity with the “mistreated prisoners of J6 (January 6), 1,146 people having been charged over the riot on Capitol that attempted to block the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
Speaking at the vigil, Gaetz commented, “I think it is extremely important that we get a full release of the recordings from January 6, as President McCarthy promised. I don’t think he kept that promise.
“I think it’s dishonest, especially to the people who have borne the brunt of this two-tiered justice system, and I just wanted to come here to say from the bottom of my heart how much I appreciate those who are watching and that I “I told you directly that I will work to get these J6 tapes released if Kevin McCarthy wants to keep his job.”
CNN congressional correspondent Manu Raju reported Thursday that McCarthy attacked his Republican critics during a closed-door meeting of Republican lawmakers, daring them to “move the damn motion” to remove him from office .
Gaetz responded to Raju’s post on X, writing, “Looks like he gets my message. This could be a good sign!”
Speaking from the House on Tuesday, after McCarthy announced the impeachment inquiry, Gaetz threatened to vote daily to impeach the president unless he went further in meeting his demands.
“I rise today to tell you: Mr. President, you are not complying with the agreement that allowed you to assume this role. The path forward for the House of Representatives is either to get you to comply immediately and totally, or to remove you pursuant to a motion to vacate the chair,” Gaetz said.
“So either we’re going to get compliance or we’re going to start voting on motions to overturn, and we’ll have them regularly. I don’t expect them to pass immediately. But I think, you know. , if we must begin each day in Congress with prayer, commitment and the motion to resign, so be it.”
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