Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy said Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz has sent House Republicans into "disarray."
McCarthy, who was ousted as Speaker last October after Gaetz led the charge to vacate his seat, commented on growing support for current Speaker of the House Mike Johnson's ousting.
The former Speaker discussed Johnson's situation and House Republicans overall, saying the Florida representative had broken the Republican majority during a Sunday appearance on Fox News.
"I think they're in disarray, but it stems from those eight [Republicans] working with all the Democrats," McCarthy said of Gaetz and seven other representatives who voted to vacate the Speaker's seat, including Andy Biggs and Eli Crane of Arizona, Ken Buck of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Bob Good of Virginia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, and Matt Rosendale of Montana.
"If there's no consequence ... the Gaetz Eight [will] work with all the Democrats to decide who could be speaker; and since then, what has transpired?" McCarthy continued. "So, the conference is broken because they never dealt with those eight, and until they do, it would stay broken."
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McCarthy compared Gaetz' efforts to remove him as Speaker with Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's effort to remove Johnson.
"Marjorie didn't do what Matt Gaetz did," the former Speaker said. "She didn't make this privilege. She's making it an issue for a debate. Now, I think they should keep it internal. They should have their discussion."
"What Matt Gaetz did has broken the Republican majority. He's now created 'Lord of the Flies.' Ask anybody inside our conference; they actually know it," he added.
Last Tuesday, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie became the first Republican to co-sponsor Greene's motion to vacate Johnson as Speaker.
"He should pre-announce his resignation (as Boehner did), so we can pick a new Speaker without ever being without a GOP Speaker," Massie wrote in an X post.
Johnson said Massie's resignation request was "absurd."
“I am not resigning and it is, in my view, an absurd notion that someone would bring a vacate motion when we are simply here trying to do our jobs,” Johnson said during a press conference. “It is not helpful to the cause, it is not helpful to the country, it does not help the House Republicans advance our agenda which is in the best interest of the American people here — a secure border, sound governance — and it’s not helpful to the unity that we have in the body.”
