(TheLastPatriotNews.com) – Simmering internal strife may lead all hell to break loose for the GOP this week as a conservative Republican congressman, Rep. Matt Gaetz, has moved to depose House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, likely empowering the Democrat minority for decisive action.
Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus have been at odds with McCarthy (R-CA) since before they consented to his election as speaker after fifteen rounds of voting in January.
In a CNN interview on Sunday, the Florida congressman declared he would file a motion to vacate against McCarthy this week after the speaker backed last-minute bipartisan spending legislation preventing a government shutdown.
“I do intend to file a motion to vacate against Speaker McCarthy this week,” Gaetz declared on the State of the Union program.
“I think we need to rip off the Band-Aid. I think we need to move on with leadership that’s trustworthy,” he added.
McCarthy can be deposed with a simple majority. Thus, if all Democrats in the House of Representatives vote for Gaetz’s motion, and several Republicans do as well, McCarthy would lose his position, The Hill notes in a report.
It adds House Democrats would prefer to see their Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), as the new speaker.
Gaetz told CNN host Jake Tapper that a sufficient number of GOP lawmakers supported him.
“Enough so that when you host this show next week, if Kevin McCarthy is still Speaker of the House he will be serving at the pleasure of the Democrats. He will be working for the Democrats. The only way that McCarthy will be Speaker of the House is if Democrats bail him out. Now they probably will,” the Florida Republican forecasted.
“If Democrats want to own Kevin McCarthy by bailing him out, I can’t stop them, but then he’ll be their Speaker, not mine,” he added.
In a Sunday interview on the CBS program “Face the Nation,” the House speaker sounded confident that he would survive Gaetz’s bid to dethrone him.
“I’ll survive. You know, this is personal with Matt. Matt voted against the most conservative ability to secure our border. He’s more interested in securing TV interviews than doing something. He wanted to push us into a shutdown,” a smiling McCarthy declared, as cited by Breitbart News.
“Only because he wants to take this motion, so be it. Bring it on! Let’s get over with it, and let’s start governing. If he’s upset because he tried to push us in a shutdown, and I made sure government didn’t shut down, then let’s have that fight,” the speaker added.
JUST IN: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) tells @jaketapper that he will move to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy this week. @CNNSotu #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/5gpuum4eGy
— CNN (@CNN) October 1, 2023
