Kevin McCarthy lashed out at his congressional nemesis Matt Gaetz on Thursday, accusing the Florida Republican of being “psychotic” while leading the effort to remove him from the presidency.
Gaetz infamously introduced the resolution to oust McCarthy from the House speakership in October, a move the California Republican attributed to Gaetz’s personal animosity toward him rather than significant political or governance differences.
“I was psychotic,” McCarthy, who will officially retire at the end of the month, told reporters on his last day in Congress.
“People study that kind of crazy mind, right?” she added. “Mainly the FBI.”
McCarthy may have been alluding to the Justice Department’s years-long sex trafficking investigation into Gaetz that ended in February without charges being filed against the Sunshine State lawmaker.
Eight House Republicans, including Gaetz, voted with Democrats to remove McCarthy from his presidency. REUTERS
The investigation, which began in 2020, centered on Gaetz’s alleged relationship with a then-17-year-old girl and whether he paid for her to travel across state lines for sex several years earlier. Gaetz had repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
However, the House Ethics Committee still has an open investigation into whether Gaez “engaged in sexual misconduct and/or illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos in the House of Representatives, misused records state identification cards, converted campaign funds for personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratification, or impermissible gift.”
McCarthy has claimed that his refusal to intervene in the ethics investigation was the impetus behind Gaetz’s motion to dismiss the charge. Gaetz has denied that claim.
The Florida Republican also dismissed McCarthy’s most recent criticism, telling Mediaite: “Thoughts and prayers for the former congressman.”
“We had a process. It was removed. Then he opted to take his ball and go home, reducing our majority,” Gaetz added. “Kevin’s premature departure shows that for him it was just about personal power.”
McCarthy will retire from Congress at the end of the month. ZUMAPRESS.com
McCarthy, 58, announced his decision to retire in a Wall Street Journal op-ed earlier this month, in which he vowed to “continue recruiting our country’s best and brightest to run for elected office.”
His departure will reduce House Republicans’ majority to two votes, following the expulsion of former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) on December 1.
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives went into recess on Thursday until the new year.
McCarthy, who made history with the third-shortest term in American history, indicated he has no regrets about the policies he pursued as president during his exit speech Thursday.
“I knew that the day we decided to make sure that choosing to pay our troops when the war broke out, instead of closing it down, was the right decision,” he reflected from the House of Representatives. “I would do it all over again.”
McCarthy agreed to lower the threshold of members needed to table a motion to strip him of his gavel in January as a concession to conservatives who oppose his presidency.
Gaetz mocked McCarthy for weeks before his motion to vacate the presidency, and on October 3, eight Republicans joined all Democrats to pass the resolution, which began a tumultuous 21-day period without a permanent House Speaker. Camera in place. .
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Source: vtt.edu.vn