Gaetz ousted McCarthy. Now other Republicans want to come after him.
- Some Republicans are floating the idea of ousting Rep. Matt Gaetz from the party.
- This comes after Gaetz put forward a vote to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker.
Rep. Matt Gaetz's campaign to oust now-former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was successful, but his actions gave way to the frustrations of his fellow party members — some of whom are now turning a more skeptical eye toward Gaetz himself.
Eight Republicans, members of the far-right faction of their party, joined a unanimous vote from House Democrats to strip McCarthy of his speakership role, making it a historic first for the country.
Many House GOP members were not happy about it, some going so far as to come after Gaetz's place in the party caucus.
"I'd love to have him out of the conference," Republican Rep. Don Bacon, said Tuesday, per The Washington Post. "He shouldn't be in the Republican Party."
Bacon also told CNN that he would speak privately with colleagues about removing him from the party.
In an op-ed to the Post, former GOP Representative and Speaker Newt Gingrich also called on House Republicans to remove Gaetz.
"Rep. Matt Gaetz is an anti-Republican who has become actively destructive to the conservative movement," Gingrich wrote.
Others, such as Rep. Garret Graves, described Gaetz using the vote as an opportunity to garner political donations as "disgusting."
Rep. Tim Burchett, one of the Republicans who voted to kick McCarthy out, even told the Post that his colleagues "cussed at and sneered at" him as a result.
As for what Gaetz feels about it all, he told the Post that Republicans should let him know "when they have the votes" to expel him.
This isn't the first time moderate House GOP members have found Gaetz and his Freedom Caucus a pain to the party. Gaetz's longstanding feud with McCarthy, which resulted in one of the most chaotic Speaker votes in history, also sowed division among republicans back in January.
The House will now look to replace McCarthy with a new speaker.