Kevin McCarthy accused fellow Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz (Fla.) of launching his ouster as House Speaker in an effort to become a ‘TV congressman’ by gaining more air time through the process.
Gaetz filed a motion to vacate that was ultimately successful in early October in stripping Rep. McCarthy (Calif.) of his Speaker’s gavel. This launched a weeks-long, drama-filled election for the new leader of the lower chamber.
Ultimately, Rep. Mike Johnson was elected after several others failed in their bids.
Gaetz insists that his motion was motivated by McCarthy ‘caving’ to Democrats in negotiations to avoid a government shutdown. He claims that, as Speaker, McCarthy failed to keep his promises.
Speaking to CNN’s Manu Raju, McCarthy counters that the real reason is because Gaetz was only thinking about himself.
‘Matt’s goal was to be the TV congressman,’ McCarthy said in the pre-recorded interview.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy said his Speakership ouster by fellow Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz was all a selfish act for his colleague to achieve his goal of being a ‘TV congressman’
He insisted that the Florida congressman himself said he ‘wanted to be known for’ being the ‘TV congressman.’
‘I think Congress is too important and the issues are too big to focus on such small things that Matt tries to,’ the Republican congressman added. ‘It’s more a division — and focused on himself.’
More of McCarthy’s interview will air on CNN’s Inside Politics Sunday morning.
Raju said that when Gaetz was reached for a response to McCarthy’s comments, he just said: ‘Thoughts and prayers to the former Speaker as he works through his grief.’
McCarthy was demoted in a matter of minutes from the most powerful Republican in Washington to a rank-and-file member of Congress. It came after eight members of his own party voted him out on October 3.
Along with Donald Trump’s ally Gaetz, the others who voted McCarthy out of his Speaker post were Reps. Andy Biggs and Eli Crane of Arizona, Ken Buck (Colo.), Tim Burchett (Tenn.), Bob Good (Va.), Nancy Mane (S.C.), and Matt Rosendale (Mon.).
It initially took McCarthy 15 votes to become Speaker when Republicans gained a narrow majority in the House following the 2022 midterm elections.
Part of his negotiations to ascend to the speakership included McCarthy agreeing that one single member of the party could launch a motion to vacate him from the top congressional post.
McCarthy said that Gaetz himself admitted his ultimate goal as a U.S. representative was to become a ‘TV congressman’