Matt Gaetz ripped for email blasting ‘RINOs working with radical Democrats’
How ironic.
Far-right Rep. Matt Gaetz was called out Tuesday night after his campaign sent out a fundraising email trashing Republicans trying to prevent Rep. Jim Jordan from being elected speaker of the House — two weeks after Gaetz engineered the ouster of Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) with the help of a unified Democratic conference.
The Gaetz for Congress email read, in part: “We are inches from electing Speaker Jim Jordan. But RINO’s [sic] are working with RADICAL DEMOCRATS like AOC, ILHAN OMAR and RASHIDA TLAIB to BLOCK JIM JORDAN from becoming SPEAKER!!”
“Does someone want to tell Matt Gaetz that he worked with RADICAL DEMOCRATS like @AOC @IlhanMN and @RashidaTlaib to remove @SpeakerMcCarthy, a REPUBLICAN SPEAKER,” a frustrated Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) posted on X, including a screenshot of the money-raising pitch.
“This email was sent by a vendor without my team’s approval. It should not have been sent,” Gaetz replied on X. “I sincerely apologize to Mike Lawler and anyone else who felt targeted by this I’ll-conceived [sic] email message. I will make changes to ensure this does not happen again.”
“I intend to heed Speaker-Designate Jordan’s call to not attack fellow Republicans as we work through this.”
Some of Jordan’s allies have been mounting a brutal pressure campaign against moderate House Republican holdouts who have refused to back the Ohio lawmaker.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) highlighted scathing anonymous text messages his wife received suggesting her husband would get kicked out of Congress if he doesn’t back Jordan (R-Ohio).
So far, Jordan has failed to receive the required 217 votes to pick up the gavel on two separate ballots. Lawler has voted for the reinstatement of McCarthy on each occasion.
Gaetz banded together with seven Republicans and 208 Democrats to dethrone McCarthy Oct. 3 by passing a motion to vacate the speaker’s office, 216-210.
Gaetz had long held the motion to vacate the chair over McCarthy’s head and ultimately brandished it after the former speaker brought a stopgap continuing resolution to the floor late last month to avert a partial government shutdown.
The 41-year-old Republican has since publicly backed House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) for speaker, despite his vote for the CR. Scalise dropped out of consideration last week.
McCarthy has openly speculated that Gaetz pursued a personal vendetta against him for refusing to quash an ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation, something Gaetz has forcefully denied.
Without a speaker, the House is unable to conduct regular business.
Some Republicans have floated expanding Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry’s (R-NC) power to call up legislation until a compromise candidate can be found.
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