Last Updated on September 14, 2023
GOP Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy is accusing conservative members of the House Freedom Caucus of working with Democrats to bring his failed speakership to an end by way of a Motion to Vacate, and is parroting the same talking points over and over again as he makes the media rounds. In recent days, several Freedom Caucus members, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz, have indicated their support for deposing McCarthy should he once again crumble in the face of Democrat resistance amidst the ongoing budget battle on Capitol Hill.
Besieged House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told the media that Freedom Caucus Rep. Matt Gaetz is “working with Eric Swalwell” to vacate McCarthy’s speakership when he was asked about movements against him by dissatisfied members of his own party.
“Matt is working with Eric Swalwell,” claimed McCarthy, who appeared somewhat emotional before dismissing complaints about all of his failed speaker campaign promises and asserting that Gaetz wants him gone because McCarthy won’t “interject” himself into a dated ethics complaint filed against Gaetz by Democrats in the last Congress.
“Let me be very clear,” McCarthy said. “Matt is upset about an ethics complaint. I don’t care what they threaten about me, I’m not going to interject into an independent committee like ethics and I’m not going to put Swalwell back on the intel committee. So they can do whatever they want.”
McCarthy also set his sights on Matt Gaetz during another media appearance, this one with talk radio host Mark Levin, making nearly the exact same claims against Gaetz, with the exact same talking points.
“I don’t know [what Matt Gaetz is talking about] either,” claimed McCarthy, when Levin expressed bewilderment and disbelief that Republican legislators are floating a Motion to Vacate.
“Matt has an old ethics complaint in the last Congress and he thinks I somehow can influence that,” said McCarthy.
“I can’t influence the independent committee, I’m not going to. Matt goes out and is working with Swalwell to try to partner together to have a Motion to Vacate. Well, you know what? I’m not going to put Swalwell back on the Intel Committee.”
McCarthy’s Gaetz-Swalwell conspiracy theory comes after Gaetz responded to an X post from Swalwell, which claimed that the Motion to Vacate threats are not serious, by asking Swalwell how many Democrat votes against McCarthy he could count on if and when the motion is filed.
Swalwell offered up no response to that question, and several corporate media publications have indicated that Democrats may actually rush in and save Kevin McCarthy by voting in support of him if a Motion to Vacate is filed.
On the contrary, several members of the House Freedom Caucus have expressed their support for the Motion to Vacate, with Virginia Rep. Bob Good and Arizona Rep. Eli Crane both having recently indicated that they’d get rid of McCarthy if the Motion to Vacate comes up for a vote.
Related: BOB GOOD: Kevin McCarthy ‘Out of Compliance’ With Conditions for Being Speaker
Related: Eli Crane Indicates Support for Motion to Vacate McCarthy’s Chair
