Gaetz Says It Would Be ‘Absolutely’ Worth It To Lose Congress Seat From Ousting McCarthy

Rep. Matt Gaetz leaves the U.S. Capitol after U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted form his position, October 3, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

OAN’s Brooke Mallory
3:51 PM – Sunday, October 8, 2023

Rep. Matt Gaetz, who spearheaded the effort to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy from the top leadership position last week, said it would be “absolutely” worth it for him to lose his own seat in Congress.

“Absolutely,” Gaetz (R-Fla.) said when NBC’s Kristen Welker asked him if the effort to oust McCarthy (R-Calif.) was worth it. “Look, I am here to fight for my constituents. And I’m here to ensure that America is not on a path to financial ruin.”

Gaetz played a key role in McCarthy’s removal from the Speaker’s position last week. However, some GOP representatives like Don Bacon (R-Neb.) have now called for his removal.

Gaetz had been threatening McCarthy for months, citing his arrangement with Democrats to prevent a government shutdown and due to McCarthy’s advocacy of continuous funding for Ukraine.

“The reason Kevin McCarthy went down today is because nobody trusts Kevin McCarthy,” said Gaetz after the vote.

McCarthy was the first Speaker in American history to be removed when eight Republicans, combined with the majority of Democrats, voted him out. Now, a House GOP meeting is reportedly scheduled to elect a new speaker this week.

Despite the fact that McCarthy won the Speakership election in January after 15 rounds of voting over five days, Gaetz projected that the selection process would not take a week this time.

He also said that the idea suggested by some Republicans to have him removed from Congress was “crazy,” adding that he had received roughly 70% of the vote in his area to be elected.

“Not only do we have a clear replacement, we have two. We have two men who are incredibly respected,” Gaetz responded, possibly referring to GOP Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Steve Scalise (R-La.)

However, Gaetz refrained from specifically naming or endorsing any candidate on Sunday.

Since then, Jordan and Scalise have both expressed a willingness to take over as Speaker of the House, while McCarthy has insisted that he will no longer compete for the role.

Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), who was appointed by McCarthy himself, is currently serving as the temporary Speaker of the House until a new speaker is named.