Kevin McCarthy Voted Out as House Speaker Video

Matt Gaetz Points Out Speaker McCarthy’s Flaws and Lies

The bitter feud between Representatives Matt Gaetz of Florida and Kevin McCarthy of California, which culminated in Tuesday’s historic vote to remove McCarthy as House speaker, has deep roots. Their animosity has simmered for some time, with Gaetz notably casting a “Present” vote rather than supporting McCarthy’s bid for the gavel back in January.

McCarthy has consistently contended that Gaetz holds a grudge against him due to McCarthy’s refusal to intervene in a House Ethics Committee investigation, which is unrelated to the recent vote to oust him.

Before being removed as House speaker, McCarthy spoke out, stating, “He’s blaming me for an ethics complaint against him that happened in the last Congress. I have nothing to do with it.”

Gaetz, who is reportedly considering a run for Florida governor in 2026, has been under the ethics panel’s scrutiny. The investigation centers on allegations of sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, campaign finance violations, and accepting bribes. Many in Congress, including fellow Republicans, are reportedly eager to remove Gaetz from office if he is found guilty of these charges.

The House Ethics Committee relaunched its investigation into Gaetz in July 2021, alongside a Justice Department probe regarding allegations of involvement in a sex-trafficking scheme with a minor. Federal authorities concluded their two-year investigation in February without filing criminal charges, but the committee’s inquiry is independent of the Justice Department’s findings.

The investigation revolves around claims that Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and drug use, shared inappropriate content on the House floor, misused state identification records, misappropriated campaign funds for personal use, and accepted bribes.

While McCarthy attributed Gaetz’s move to his own ethics troubles, Gaetz insists that his push for McCarthy’s removal is rooted in the California congressman’s lack of support for spending cuts. Gaetz also accused McCarthy of secretly negotiating with President Biden for aid to Ukraine while backing a stopgap government funding measure that excluded assistance for the war-torn nation.

Gaetz argued, “People can say this is a party of one. I have tens of millions of Americans who stand with me on this. And I have a requisite number of House Republicans, a sufficient number, to ensure that we don’t own Kevin McCarthy anymore.”

During the January speaker election, over a dozen far-right Republicans, including Gaetz, withheld their support for McCarthy. Despite the stonewalling, McCarthy ultimately secured the gavel after 15 rounds of voting. As a part of his victory, McCarthy agreed to a rules change that allowed any House member to call for a vote to remove the speaker, paving the way for Gaetz’s recent move.

This historic development marks the first instance of a US House speaker being removed from the position, a position second in line for the presidency after the vice president.