Matt Gaetz is widely hated in Congress. He was able to oust Kevin McCarthy anyway

WASHINGTON —  Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) was ousted yesterday from his seat by eight members of his own party, aided by Democrats in no mood to help him. It made McCarthy the first speaker to be removed from office.

The coup was orchestrated and led by one of Capitol Hill’s least popular figures, Matt Gaetz of Florida, after McCarthy worked with Democrats to pass a last-ditch effort to prevent a federal shutdown.

After his ouster, McCarthy told colleagues he would not seek the speakership when a new vote is called, bringing an end to his brief but tumultuous rise. It also leaves California with diminished influence in Congress.

Hello, my name is Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu. I cover national politics for the L.A. Times. Today we look at how one of Congress’ most hated members overthrew the speaker of the House.

Gaetz blames McCarthy for the ethics investigations he faces

Since coming to Congress in 2017, Gaetz has made many enemies including within his own party. He is currently under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for a range of issues including from sex trafficking and misusing campaign funds. The Justice Department decided against charging him for sex trafficking but the House probe (which first began under Speaker Pelosi) has continued.

Gaetz says that overthrowing McCarthy is about the politics and not some personal vendetta. But he also said this: “I believe Speaker McCarthy is trying to signal to the ethics committee to pursue me.”

(McCarthy has previously denied directing the ethics committee’s business.)

Publicity stunts have made Gaetz unpopular

Gaetz, a die-hard Trump ally, is seen by many in his party as a disruptor with a penchant for publicity stunts for the sake of TV attention. He led a group of allies to disrupt a closed-door hearing during Trump’s first impeachment and tried to make the Pledge of Allegiance mandatory at the start of congressional hearings.

In an op-ed published on Tuesday, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich described Gaetz as “childish” and called for him to be expelled from the Republican ranks. Another Republican colleague Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), described Gaetz as a “petulant child.”

As his motion to remove McCarthy was about to be put to a vote, Gaetz was thrust firmly in that national spotlight excoriating his own colleagues on the House floor while fending off accusations he was throwing the house into disarray. “Chaos is Speaker McCarthy,” he said. “Kevin McCarthy said something to all of us at one point or another that he didn’t really mean and never intended to live up to. I don’t think voting against Kevin McCarthy is chaos.”

Gaetz got a few conservatives to follow him anyway

Gaetz only needed a handful of votes to oust McCarthy. Yesterday, seven joined him in voting to vacate (along with every Democrat who voted). That the pariah from his own party could successfully commandeer a rebellion to oust him says volumes about McCarthy’s weak hold on the gavel. It took him 15 humiliating votes to become speaker in the first place.

To win it, he allowed that a single member could call for a vote to vacate. In the end, Gaetz was only using the tools he and other far-right Republicans had won in that battle.

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The view from Washington

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The view from California

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