Republicans' Matt Gaetz Problem Isn't Going Away Soon

Florida Representative Matt Gaetz remains relentless in his pursuit to remove Kevin McCarthy from the House speaker position, even though his colleagues are growing weary of the effort.

Gaetz's feud with McCarthy has been simmering since the beginning of the year when it took 15 rounds of voting to approve McCarthy's appointment as speaker. Gaetz and his allies blocked McCarthy's smooth ascension to the position, but after concessions were made, McCarthy was subsequently elected on the 15th ballot.

Tensions are tightening between the two Republicans. Gaetz previously threatened McCarthy while urging the speaker to take a stronger stance against certain issues, such as in negotiations to prevent a government shutdown and impeaching President Joe Biden. The tension came to a head on Sunday when Gaetz threatened to introduce a motion to vacate this week to remove McCarthy from his position.

Gaetz told CNN's Manu Raju on Monday that he'll introduce another motion to vacate if the motion fails the first time.

"It took Speaker McCarthy 15 votes to become the speaker. So until I get to 14 or 15, I don't think I'm being any more dilatory," he said, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter, by CNN associate producer Morgan Rimmer.

However, Gaetz's adamancy is doing little to impress his colleagues. House Republicans have previously said they will consider ousting Gaetz if an Ethics Committee investigation into Gaetz reveals findings of guilt regarding allegations of trafficking, bribery and drug use against the congressman. The investigation has been ongoing since 2021, and Gaetz has denied the allegations.

An effort to expel Gaetz from the House floor would require two-thirds of the vote. Republicans also voiced that they would work with their Democrat colleagues to block Gaetz's efforts to remove McCarthy as House speaker.

"BTW -- If Gaetz keeps bringing up a motion to vacate the speaker's chair, Republicans tell us they'll try to work with Dems to change the rules so that a single person can no longer call for such a vote," CNN reporter Melanie Zanona posted on X on Monday.

Gaetz took a fiery stance when speaking at the Capitol on Monday after a reporter asked him if he was worried about throwing the institution into chaos with his actions.

"You talk about chaos as if it's me forcing a few votes and filing a few motions," Gaetz said. "Real chaos is when the American people have to go through the austerity that is coming if we continue to have $2 trillion annual deficits. You don't know chaos until you see where this Congress and this uni-party is bringing us."

Newsweek reached out to Gaetz's office via email for comment.

Gaetz's recent announcement that he plans to introduce a motion to vacate McCarthy appeared to have worsened his image for some of his Republican colleagues. One unnamed House Republican told Fox News that "no one can stand him at this point."

Former President Donald Trump, the current frontrunner for the GOP's 2024 nomination, also stopped short of supporting Gaetz's motion when speaking at a campaign stop in Ottumwa, Iowa, on Sunday.

"I don't know anything about those efforts, but I like both of them very much," Trump told reporters in Iowa before commending McCarthy. "I think it's too early [to comment], it just happened a little while ago. I've always had a great relationship with [McCarthy], he said very nice things about me and the job I've done, so I appreciate that."