Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) could soon face a push for his own ouster, according to CNN and Fox News.
The Florida congressman said Sunday he will attempt to strip Kevin McCarthy of his gavel after the House speaker relied on Democrats to pass stopgap spending legislation that narrowly averted a government shutdown over the weekend.
Gaetz’s threat, which he has been repeating for weeks, has apparently rankled some of his colleagues.
“We want him out,” one unnamed Republican lawmaker told CNN in a report published Sunday.
Gaetz is under investigation by the Ethics Committee over sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and corruption allegations. The Republican lawmaker told CNN Gaetz could be ousted by those who oppose him if he’s found guilty.
Fox News reported that members of the House Republican conference are preparing a motion to expel Gaetz if the ethics committee’s report does not clear him of wrongdoing.
“No one can stand him at this point. A smart guy without morals,” one member said, according to Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich.
Gaetz responded to her report:
The Florida lawmaker led a faction of hard-line conservatives that insisted on passing legislation that included spending cuts.
McCarthy was forced to turn to House Democrats for support to prevent a government closure.
Multiple Republican lawmakers have been publicly critical of Gaetz’s antics. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) said Sunday that his colleague’s push to unseat McCarthy is a “diatribe of delusional thinking.”
“Look, we’re in a divided government and in a divided government, any final bill is going to have bipartisan support,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”
Asked on Fox News whether he would support a push to oust Gaetz, Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) said he would have to see what the charges are against him.
“Expelling a member of Congress is a very serious concern,” he said. “And I have serious disagreements with Mr. Gaetz … He is Joe Biden’s favorite Republican because he causes a lot of confusion and dissension inside the party itself.”