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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) reportedly exchanged harsh words during a closed-door meeting with the Republican caucus on Thursday, according to witnesses.
Fox News reported that Gaetz confronted McCarthy, creating “fireworks” when the Florida Republican rose to accuse the Californian of using online influencers to attack him.
McCarthy denied the claim and dismissed his GOP colleague, Fox News reported. “McCarthy said he wouldn’t waste his time on Gaetz like that,” a source told the outlet.
According to another source who spoke to Fox News, at one point, McCarthy said to Gaetz: “Tomorrow I’m spending my time giving $5 million [to GOP candidates and members] to expand our majority. What are you doing to help our majority?”
One of the sources also claimed that other Republicans expressed frustration with Gaetz, with one telling him to “f**k off” and another supposedly calling him a “scumbag.”
Afterward, it seemed as though Gaetz confirmed he had exchanged heated words with the Speaker.
“I asked him whether or not he was paying those influencers to post negative things about me online,” Gaetz said. In addition, he confirmed that McCarthy said he wouldn’t waste his time. “Yeah, that is what he said,” the Florida Republican admitted.
Asked if he was frustrated with McCarthy during and after the exchange, Gaetz replied: “My blood pressure is like 120 over 80. So I’m feeling great.”
A spokesperson for the Speaker, meanwhile, told Fox News Digital he had “had absolutely no role” in the alleged online campaign and that “all signs” pointed to a Democrat-run operation.
Also, the outlet was provided with a screenshot of a cease-and-desist email sent by a private attorney for McCarthy to the alleged orchestrators of the anti-Gaetz campaign.
“I am outside counsel to Speaker Kevin McCarthy. I understand based on multiple reporter inquiries that reference your name that you are reaching out to social media influencers about a ‘Against Gaetz and government shutdown’ and claiming it is on behalf of Speaker McCarthy and/or entities purportedly affiliated with the Speaker. That is false and in violation of the law,” the email said, according to Fox News. “This email puts you on notice that you must immediately cease and desist or we will move forward with all remedies under the law including the pursuit of damages where warranted.”
The dust-up is the latest fracas between the two Republicans. On Tuesday, Gaetz stopped just short of calling for a motion to vacate the Speakership in a House floor speech.
“[T]he House of Representatives has been poorly led. We own that, and we have to do something about it. My Democrat colleagues will have an opportunity to do something about that, too, and we will see if they bail out our failed Speaker,” he said.
On Thursday, however, he avoided directly answering a question on the measure.
“Right now, we’re working to get these individual single-subject spending bills passed. That’s my principal goal,” he told reporters.
Earlier this week, McCarthy (R-Calif.) responded after it appeared that Gaetz threatened to try and have him removed from his position over disagreements with the chamber’s Freedom Caucus.
Punchbowl News managing editor Heather Caygle on Tuesday asked McCarthy about the “constant Twitter threats to oust him” posted by Gaetz and a few others, but the California Republican appeared to dismiss them out of hand.
“Speaker McCarthy asked about @mattgaetz constant Twitter threats to try to oust him: ‘Oh my god, someone tweeted about me? Oh my god, I’m gonna lose the speakership because somebody tweeted about me. That would’ve happened a long time ago,’” she wrote.
Gaetz made it clear earlier this month that McCarthy could be fired if he doesn’t move forward with a vote to launch the inquiry after a number of House committees have uncovered what they claim is ample evidence of nefarious activities, including alleged bribery when he was vice president.
On social media and during a radio interview, Gaetz suggested that McCarthy could face removal for resisting the impeachment push.
“I worked very hard in January to develop a toolkit for House Republicans to use in a productive and positive way,” Gaetz wrote on Truth Social. “I don’t believe we’ve used those tools as effectively as we should have.
