Matt Gaetz says he will resign if Democrats strike a deal to select a ‘moderate’ Republican speaker – and it was ‘wrong’ for Trump to back McCarthy as GOP chaos enters day four
- Gaetz: There are almost no circumstances that could make him choose the GOP boss
- “Kevin McCarthy is the lobby corps’ poster child,” said the Florida Republican
- McCarthy has lost 11 elections since Tuesday to become the next Speaker of the House
Conservative holdout Rep. Matt Gaetz told Fox News that Donald Trump was “wrong” to support Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House and took a close look at the former president’s hiring practices.
Gaetz said there were almost no concessions to court him, and also said he would resign if Democrats strike a deal to hand the gavel to a “moderate” Republican — with the GOP unable to pick a speaker after 11 ballots .
“If the Democrats unite to elect a moderate Republican, I will step out of the House. I’m so sure. I can assure your viewers that’s not going to happen,” Gaetz told Fox News Thursday night.
He made the threat after insisting that Democrats would vote for Hakeem Jeffries every round because he was a “historic candidate” for them.
The Florida congressman, who named Trump spokesman during Thursday’s unsuccessful votes, told Ingraham Angle Thursday night, “I would not, under almost any circumstances, bet on my vote for Kevin McCarthy.”
McCarthy, who has now failed to become Speaker of the House in 11 ballots, made a series of steep concessions to win over the 20 Republicans who voted against him Thursday night.
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz said there are almost no concessions to court him
“Kevin McCarthy is the lobby corps’ poster child,” Gaetz said of his argument.
“I am resentful at the extent to which Kevin McCarthy is using the lobbyists and special interests to dictate how policy decisions are made, how policy decisions are made and how leadership decisions are made. Kevin McCarthy has been in the lead for 14 years. And he’s sold shares of himself to special interests, to political action committees, and so I don’t think he’s an appropriate choice.’
Gaetz went on to say Trump is wrong for supporting McCarthy but will support his presidential nomination anyway.
“I think President Trump is wrong in supporting Kevin McCarthy. I will support President Trump if he runs for election in 2024, but I will not support him on this piece.
“I love President Trump. I’ve defended him a lot in Congress, but HR hasn’t always been his forte,” Gaetz said. “President Trump has brought us people like Jeff Sessions and Bill Barr and Jim Mattis and Mark Esper – people who haven’t always had an America First policy.”
“I think President Trump is wrong in supporting Kevin McCarthy. I will support President Trump if he runs for election in 2024, but I will not support him on this piece.
Gaetz nominated President Trump to speak on Thursday, and when asked by if he really thought Trump was well placed to hold the gavel, Gaetz said dryly, “Yes. That’s why I voted for him.’
When asked what he wanted after a string of no votes despite steep concessions, Gaetz told reporters on Thursday, “Either Kevin McCarthy retires from the race, or we’re running a straitjacket he can’t dodge.”
The House of Representatives will begin voting again at 12 noon on Friday after conservative holdouts had a chance to review rules McCarthy conceded overnight. They will take part in a morning discussion on Friday before the vote.
GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, now failing to become speaker of the House after 11 rounds of voting, continues to make a series of steep concessions to win over the 20 Republicans who voted against him Thursday night
According to the roll call, it included the option for just one member to oust the speaker instead of five included in the original rules package, and it promised votes over a balanced budget, term limits and appropriation changes.
A previous concessionaire also promised there would be a vote on border legislation.
McCarthy had also agreed to allow more members of the conservative Freedom Caucus to serve on the House Rules Committee, which dictates which bills make it to House floor.
He also agreed that his lead PAC would stay out of safe primary races, allowing conservatives to challenge more moderate Republicans in red districts.