Former House speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) scolded Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) in a closed-door GOP conference meeting.
When Gaetz tried to interrupt McCarthy, the ex speaker told him to sit down.
McCarthy reported that in the meeting, there was a moment when he mentioned Gaetz.
Gaetz stood up to interrupt him and say something. McCarthy then fired back at him, “Sit … down,” which prompted Gaetz to respond back.
Gaetz said that he thought McCarthy was “yielding to me since he had mentioned me.”
On Thursday, the House Republicans gathered for nearly four hours to discuss their next steps as they worked to choose a speaker candidate. This follows Gaetz’s decision to join forces with Democrats to remove McCarthy from his position. Gaetz led eight Republicans and all Democrats in the vote.
The conference nominated right-wing Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) for the role, but he was unsuccessful in securing the necessary votes on three occasions.
The GOP caucus dropped Jordan as their nominee on Friday.
Gaetz said of McCarthy, “He gets his Irish up sometimes. I’m not a very emotional person. I’m a lawyer by trade, not a baker, and so I’m used to the presentation of arguments and the listening of arguments without getting hot under the collar.”
Rep. Mike Bost (R-Illinois) reportedly was ready to forcibly make Gaetz sit down.
McCarthy said that he didn’t yell at Gaetz.
He said, “I was at the mic, I was speaking and Matt Gaetz tried to interrupt, I told him to sit down.”
He added, “I think the entire conference screamed at him. Listen, the whole country, I think, would scream at Matt Gaetz right now. Remember, it was the crazy eight led by Matt Gaetz and every single Democrat that put us into this situation.”
