McCarthy Blasts Gaetz and Other Republicans, May Not Seek Reelection

Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted as House Speaker early last month after shepherding a spending bill that kept the government open. Some Republicans accused the then-Speaker of working with the Democrats on the bill.

The former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy slammed the Republican Representatives who voted to oust him from the position in an interview with US media on Sunday, including Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Tim Burchett of South Carolina and Matt Gaetz of Florida, who spearheaded McCarthy’s removal.

McCarthy questioned if any of the eight Republicans who voted against him were actually conservative and insinuated that Gaetz only called to vacate the speaker position to avoid an Ethics Committee probe he is facing.

“If the Ethics Committee never does anything to Gaetz, then Gaetz was successful in stopping probably what rightfully should come to him,” McCarthy said.

Gaetz, who issued the vote to vacate which ended McCarthy’s reign as House Speaker, also opposed McCarthy during his appointment to the position in January. It took 15 votes to confirm McCarthy, and he had to make multiple concessions to the group of Republicans who opposed him, including a change to House Rules that made it easier to remove the speaker.

“Thoughts and prayers to the former speaker as he works through his grief,” Gaetz said to US media when asked to respond to McCarthy’s comments.

McCarthy also said that Burchett’s vote against him was “out of [Burchett’s] nature,” adding that the Republicans who voted against him “care a lot about press, not about policy, and so they seem to just want the press and personality.”

Burchett, who voted for McCarthy during all 15 voting rounds when McCarthy was appointed in January, called McCarthy “bitter” for making the comments and said that his opinion changed on McCarthy after a phone call shortly before the vote was held that ousted McCarthy.

“He belittled my faith and I just, I didn’t see that as the type of person who needed to be in leadership,” Burchett said of the private phone call.

McCarthy is a Baptist while Burchett is Presbyterian. While the two sects of Christianity are similar, Burchett is more vocal about his faith than most members of Congress. It is unclear what McCarthy said during the phone call that offended him.

During the interview, the former speaker said that he does not think Mace deserves to be reelected. “If you watched her, just her philosophy, and the flip-flopping, I don’t believe she wins reelection,” McCarthy said.

Mace says she has never been more popular in her district than she is now, and gave praise to McCarthy’s replacement, Mike Johnson (R-LA).

“I mean, this was a guy who lied all the time, like every day. I mean, he told conservatives he was absolutely gonna impeach Joe Biden. Two hours later, the same day, told moderates that he would never impeach Joe Biden, a guy like that can’t lead our country,” Mace said, adding that “we’ve moved on to a much better speaker who’s honest and trustworthy and is going to tell the truth.”

While McCarthy’s aides have told US media outlets that he plans to finish his current term, the Congressman who has served since 2007 said he is unsure if he will seek reelection.

“I got the holidays. I will talk to my family about the ideas of what is going forward, and then I will make a decision,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy will be up for reelection next year. Immediately after his ousting from the speakership, he told reporters that he had plans to run for office.