According to reports, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., got into a furious discussion with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in a closed-door meeting Thursday, as tensions on Capitol Hill rise amid an impending government shutdown.
Gaetz told The Hill that he questioned McCarthy whether he was paying people “to create false negative sentiment” about him online.
His query came when conservative commentator Rogan O’Handley shared an image of a message on X, the social media site formerly referred to as Twitter, that he said came from a McCarthy ally to support a post “against Gaetz and government shutdown.” McCarthy was pathetic, according to Gaetz, who retweeted the post.
McCarthy, on the other hand, refuted the charges, saying he didn’t waste his time or resources on Gaetz, according to CNN, which broke the story. According to Politico, McCarthy’s team addressed a cease and desist letter to an individual at the firm Notorious LLC who they suspect is behind the effort.
The meeting heightens tensions between Gaetz and McCarthy, for example, who have been at odds since Gaetz sought to depose McCarthy as speaker.
Following the argument, House Republicans in the room slammed Gaetz, with one calling him a “scumbag.”
McCarthy’s “non sequitur retort was the fact that he was giving out two nad a half million dollars to different Republicans at breakfast,” Gaetz told The Hill.
The meeting heightens tensions between Gaetz and McCarthy, for example, who have been at odds since Gaetz sought to depose McCarthy as speaker.
Following the argument, House Republicans in the room slammed Gaetz, with one calling him a “scumbag.”
McCarthy’s “non sequitur retort was that he was giving out two nad a half million dollars to other Republicans at breakfast,” Gaetz told The Hill.
He offered various reasons because of his threats, including McCarthy’s refusal to hold votes on matters such as term limits for legislators and balanced budgets. He also chastised McCarthy for failing to release the full security tapes from the Capitol incident on January 6, 2021.
“The road forward for the House of Congress is to either bring you into right away, total compliance or dismiss you pursuant to a petition to vacate the chair,” Gaetz stated.
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