Matt Gaetz mocked GOP leadership over the midterms, dubbing Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy, and Ronna McDaniel a 'McFailure'
- Matt Gaetz blasted several top GOP leaders as vote counts for the midterms draw to a close.
- "McCarthy. McConnell. McDaniel. McFailure," Gaetz tweeted on Thursday evening.
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz on Thursday evening tweeted a mocking comment about three top GOP congressional leaders, dubbing them a "McFailure" in a play on their last names.
"McCarthy. McConnell. McDaniel. McFailure," tweet Gaetz, meaning Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.
The tweet from Gaetz, a Republican who on Tuesday won re-election for Florida's 1st congressional district, comes as this week's midterm results show a tight contest for control of the House and Senate.
The results fell far short of the expectations of GOP politicians who predicted a "red wave" this year.
Factions within the Republican Party quickly began blaming one another, with a range of analysts and pundits faulting former President Donald Trump.
A number of Trump's high-profile endorsees lost their races, such as Senate candidate Mehmet Oz and would-be governors Doug Mastriano and Tudor Dixon.
Gaetz's tweet laid part of the blame on McCarthy, McConnell, and McDaniel. The Florida representative has excoriated McCarthy before, describing the house minority leader as "weak" and not worthy of being a leader, while highlighting his own loyalty to Trump.
McCarthy and McConnell have both split from the baseless claim that the 2020 election was rigged — a talking point Trump and his most loyal supporters continue to recite. McConnell had pointed out that Trump lost in 2020 by seven million votes in the popular ballot and 306-232 in the Electoral College.
The New York Times reported in April that the pair blasted Trump in the wake of the Capitol riot, with McCarthy saying he would have asked Trump to resign. McCarthy called the report "false and wrong," after which The Times published an audio recording of the incident.
Trump has in turn repeatedly called for McConnell to be replaced, attacking him and his wife, Elaine Chao. He has, however, said he would support McCarthy for a bid for speaker of the House.
McDaniel has publicly had warmer ties with Trump in recent years than McConnell and McCarthy. She's had private meetings with the former president in Mar-a-Lago and held a donor retreat at his Florida club.
However, she's also distanced herself from claims of voter fraud in November's midterms, saying on CNN that her party "should accept the results." McDaniel had a caveat, saying candidates should let "the process play out" with recounts and court decisions should results be challenged.
A representative for Gaetz did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Nor did representatives for McCarthy, McConnell, and McDaniel.