Matt Gaetz moves to oust Kevin McCarthy from House speakership

Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida has moved to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the speakership post.

"Today I'm filing a motion to vacate against @SpeakerMcCarthy," Gaetz declared in a post on X.

The House GOP tapped McCarthy to serve in the role earlier this year, but only after a whopping 15 rounds of voting. During that battle, Gaetz voted against McCarthy in the first 13 rounds of balloting before voting present in the last two rounds.

When asked about a potential McCarthy replacement, Gaetz mentioned House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, saying that he thinks "very highly" of him and would be willing to vote for him. Scalise has been getting treated for cancer. "I would probably vote for at least a hundred Republicans in our caucus," Gaetz said, suggesting that he'd also be open to supporting people who aren't members of Congress.

GOP Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona has also expressed a desire to see McCarthy ousted from the speakership. "Last November, I ran for House Speaker because I feared that Kevin McCarthy would not rein in federal spending and take on Democrats. As seen by his latest CR, these fears are now reality. He cannot remain Speaker," Biggs tweeted.

But many Republicans will likely line up behind McCarthy.

"@SpeakerMcCarthy and the @HouseGOP have consistently delivered strong results for the American people. I support Speaker Kevin McCarthy as we continue to work to save America from the Far Left Democrats led by Joe Biden," House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) has declared.

"My fellow Republican Representatives: Look at the replies. Don't walk the plank with Elise," Gaetz responded. "You can fight alongside me and tens of millions of patriotic Americans who know DC is broken and we can do better than this. No more for Ukraine. No CR's. Cut Spending," he wrote, along with the hashtag "#VacateMcCarthy."

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