The Republican Party is facing turmoil once again, as Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) announced Sunday that he will offer a motion to vacate the Speakership of Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) this week. This shocking move comes just before the House gavels back in on Monday and has sparked intense speculation among political pundits.
The decision by Gaetz, a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, has sent shockwaves through Washington. But it is not entirely surprising given the tumultuous relationship between Gaetz and McCarthy. In January, McCarthy made an agreement with conservatives in the House, which Gaetz claims has been repeatedly violated by the Speaker.
Gaetz told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday, “Speaker McCarthy made an agreement with house conservatives in January, and since then he has been in brazen, repeated material breach of that agreement.” The agreement, which was meant to uphold spending guardrails for the Republican Party, has been a source of contention for Gaetz who accused McCarthy of making secret deals with Democrats on critical issues such as Ukraine.
The Florida representative has accused the Speaker of lying to both President Joe Biden and House conservatives regarding the issue of Ukraine. Gaetz pointed out that McCarthy had promised to push for Ukraine funding through the Senate if Republicans voted in favor of a continuing resolution without Ukraine money. However, Gaetz claims that McCarthy secretly made a deal with Democrats.
In response, Gaetz has vowed to file a motion to vacate the Speaker position this week. He believes that the lack of trust in McCarthy is a sentiment shared by Republicans across the party and it is time to “rip off the band-aid.”
This latest controversy surrounding the Speaker comes amidst mounting pressure from within the Republican Party to oust McCarthy from his position. Many conservatives believe that McCarthy has been too lenient towards Democrats and is not conservative enough to lead the Republican Party.
Adding fuel to the fire, conservative talk show host Mark Levin has accused Gaetz of plotting with Democrats to remove McCarthy from the Speaker position. In a recent blog post, Levin wrote, “The guy who says McCarthy is the Democrats’ speaker is plotting and scheming with the radical Democrats to take out a Republican speaker who is more conservative than he is.”
Levin also mentioned that there have been numerous reports that Gaetz’ motivation for this move may not solely be about McCarthy’s broken promises but also to force the Ethics Committee to release their report on a two-year-old investigation into Gaetz’s alleged misconduct. The Florida representative has denied these allegations.
As the House reconvenes on Monday, all eyes will be on the Republican Party to see how the controversy surrounding McCarthy and Gaetz will play out. Will this motion to vacate be successful or will it further divide the already fractured party? Only time will tell.
Yes, that is correct. The guy who says McCarthy is the Democrats’ speaker is plotting and scheming with the radical Democrats to take out a Republican speaker who is more conservative than he is (McCarthy backed the Freedom Caucus CR and the cuts and border security, which Gaetz…
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) October 2, 2023
