Having already alienated nearly every powerful member of the House Republican caucus, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) may now be on the verge of getting hit by karma in a major way, with many in the GOP ready to expel him from Congress just as soon as the House Ethics Committee completes its investigation of him on allegations of illegal drug use and paying underage girls to have sex with him.
CNN reports that Republicans in the House are looking for a reason to formally boot Gaetz out of Congress completely, a move which is almost never taken, with only 5 House members in U.S. history being given the boot. 15 members have been removed from the Senate.
Gaetz’s calls for Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy to be removed from his leadership post appear to have provided the impetus for the Florida Republican to be ousted.
Some McCarthy allies have suggested they should just force the vote themselves and call Gaetz’s bluff, in order to neuter the threat.
“I heard some hint at this. I don’t like playing games, but we can’t be held hostage by these threats,” said Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican. “If he does the motion, then we need to hit head-on and win. We need to point out that he offers no alternative, just nihilism.”
Gaetz’s threat of ousting McCarthy has also rankled some inside the GOP conference. One Republican lawmaker pointed to the ongoing Ethics Committee investigation into Gaetz, warning if he wasn’t cleared, he could get expelled by those who want him gone.
“We want him out,” the member said.
Gaetz was up early Sunday and making the rounds on the morning cable news shows, telling Jake Tapper on “State of the Union”:
“I do intend to file a motion to vacate against Speaker McCarthy this week. I think we need to rip off the Band-Aid. I think we need to move on with new leadership that can be trustworthy.”
“There’s nothing about delaying this process that is being the adult in the room,” he added. “We are at this point because Kevin McCarthy made multiple contradictory promises about the budget top line to different groups of people.”
A damaging report from the ethics committee would provide all the cover Republicans need for casting Gaetz aside, Jacqui Heinrich of Fox News notes:
House GOP members are seeking to quickly expel Gaetz if the ethics report comes back with findings of guilt. Following threats to vacate McCarthy, one tells me “No one can stand him at this point. A smart guy without morals.”
If indeed consensus inside the GOP caucus has reached this point, Gaetz should start packing up his shit and preparing for an early retirement from Congress because his days are numbered.
