McCarthy Accused by Gaetz of Delaying Speaker Selection

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., the architect behind the ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy from the speakership nearly a month ago, accused the California Republican of being a “saboteur” and sinking the first three candidacies for House speaker.

Gaetz made the comments to reporters Wednesday after the House elected Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., as the new speaker. Gaetz said, in essence, a speaker would have been elected before Wednesday had McCarthy not sabotaged the bids of Reps. Steve Scalise, R-La., Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Tom Emmer, R-Minn.

“What Tom Emmer, Steve Scalise, and Jim Jordan all saw that the actual saboteur of their candidacies was Kevin McCarthy,” Gaetz said.

Former President Donald Trump took credit for sinking Emmer, saying, “I killed him.” McCarthy gave his full-throated support to Jordan, calling him a “great ally” amid his three floor votes.

Regardless, Gaetz posited that McCarthy was “exposed” when, according to Gaetz, he objected to the candidacy of Johnson during a closed-door GOP conference meeting earlier this week, where freshman Rep. Marc Molinaro, R-N.Y., polled the Republicans on Johnson.

“After Tom Emmer could not achieve the requisite votes and withdrew from the campaign, Mark Molinaro … made a unanimous consent request to poll the body on whether Mike Johnson would be an acceptable option. And you know who objected? Kevin McCarthy,” Gaetz said. “Because at that point, he hadn’t figured out a way yet how to scuttle Mike Johnson the way he scuttled Tom Emmer, Steve Scalise, and Jim Jordan before.

“So, the swampy underhanded efforts of Kevin McCarthy were exposed, and they were vanquished.”

Further, Gaetz said Johnson has no IOUs, unlike the billions McCarthy owed lobbyists and special interests “for having funded him all those years.”

Said Gaetz, “Mike Johnson answers to God and the Constitution.”