Rep. Matt Gaetz said Monday that he has been consulting with former President Donald Trump as he looks to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy, adding another layer of intrigue to the affair that could derail the Republican agenda in Washington.
Mr. McCarthy traded barbs with Mr. Gaetz, a Florida Republican who said he intends to move to “vacate” the speakership. He called a vote this week that could eject Mr. McCarthy from the House’s top post.
The speaker accused Mr. Gaetz of trying to win Democrats to his cause by offering a power-sharing arrangement allowing them to issue their own subpoenas.
“Matt has been going to Democrats and offering them subpoena power, which will just destroy any Biden impeachment inquiry,” Mr. McCarthy, California Republican, said on Fox News. “And I just don’t think that’s good for the House. I don’t think it’s good for the country. And what my point is, bring it on, let’s get it over with, let’s get this over.”
Mr. Gaetz took to the House floor to accuse the speaker of trying to cut a side deal with Democrats to vote on legislation for U.S. support to Ukraine in exchange for approval of a stopgap bill that kept the government from shutting down Sunday.
“It is going to be difficult for my Republican friends to keep calling President Biden feeble while he continues to take Speaker McCarthy’s lunch money and every negotiation,” Mr. Gaetz said.
SEE ALSO: Rep. Matt Gaetz files resolution to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House
Mr. McCarthy said he discussed Ukraine funding in the stopgap bill but struck no deals.
The speaker has been on shaky ground since the start of this Congress, when Republicans took control of the House with a slim majority. Mr. McCarthy had to make it through 15 ballots to win the speakership. One concession was to allow a single lawmaker to move to vacate the chair, a parliamentary motion that kicks off a vote on the speaker’s fate.
If a majority of members vote in favor, Mr. McCarthy will be ousted and the House will have to elect a new speaker.
It’s unclear how much support Mr. Gaetz has, though some noteworthy Republicans signaled that they would not back him.
Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a prominent Republican rebel, said removing the speaker is a “bad idea” that would leave conservatives with less power as Congress works on a yearlong spending deal.
“Creating a Republican vacancy in the Republican-controlled House, while [Senate Majority Leader Charles E.] Schumer & [Senate Minority Leader Mitch] McConnell lead the Senate, seems like a recipe for an Omnibus,” he wrote on the social media platform X.
SEE ALSO: Gaetz says he’s in contact with Trump amid effort to oust McCarthy from speakership
An omnibus is a massive spending bill with all government funding piled together. Avoiding an omnibus spending bill has been one of Mr. Gaetz’s main issues as he challenges Mr. McCarthy.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, also argued against ejecting Mr. McCarthy. She said it would “give the upper hand to the Democrats.”
She also objected to moves to expel Mr. Gaetz if the Ethics Committee issues derogatory findings against him.
“Republicans need to get off the power trips, stop the absurd drama, remember who the enemy is, stop fighting with each other, and get serious about solving the problems that produce annual systemic failure,” she wrote on X.
Mr. Gaetz said he pushed the issue after Mr. McCarthy moved to avert a government shutdown with the stopgap spending bill. The legislation continued all current funding for 45 days and lacked any new restrictions that Republicans wanted to include.
The bill passed on a strong vote. Democrats united behind it, and Republicans were split.
Mr. Gaetz has not said whether he has an alternative to Mr. McCarthy in mind.
Mr. McCarthy has said he is confident he will survive the fracas.
“With Matt, it’s personal,” Mr. McCarthy said. “Matt voted against that conservative stopgap that put us in the problem. And then, when I had to keep the government open, he now wants to make a motion to vacate.”
Mr. Gaetz, who has been fundraising off his anti-McCarthy crusade, told reporters on Monday that he has spoken with Mr. Trump about the effort. The former president remains by far the most influential figure in the Republican Party and holds significant sway with a large chunk of House Republicans.
Mr. Trump has not publicly taken sides. “I don’t know anything about those efforts. I like them both very much,” he told reporters.
Democrats face a decision on how to approach the upcoming vote. They could help topple Mr. McCarthy, further deepening the House Republican rift, but they could also use the moment to extract concessions from Mr. McCarthy.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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