Matt Gaetz Ousted Kevin McCarthy as Payback on House Ethics Probe Into Child Sex Trafficking Scandal
There is a reason why Matt Gaetz ousted then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and it had something to do with a House Ethics Committee probe being launched into his infamous child sex trafficking scandal, according to a report.
The report backs what now-former California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy said in an interview last month after he resigned from the House.
"We all know it's the ethics complaint on Gaetz. He's doing everything to make sure it doesn't come out, and that means he doesn't care about anything else," he said, per Vanity Fair.
Gaetz was publicly behind the effort to oust McCarthy as he gathered other far-right MAGA Republicans to vote with Democrats in the historic vote to oust the then-House Speaker. This was a historic vote as this was the first time in US history that a sitting Speaker of the House was ever ousted.
Since Gaetz and his colleagues went against McCarthy, the two Republican congressmen have been at each other's throats, often seen arguing on the House floor. McCarthy's ouster also led to a government shutdown crisis, though it eventually led to the Republicans agreeing on Mike Johnson to be the new Speaker of the House.
Matt Gaetz Singled Out Kevin McCarthy After Child Sex Trafficking Probe Was Launched, Says Report
The House Ethics Probe was started under Nancy Pelosi, but it was not scrapped under McCarthy but instead continued. The Florida Republican did not like that one bit, leading to his animosity toward the then-Republican House Speaker.
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"Gaetz indicated to a friend that his effort to undercut, isolate, and ultimately remove McCarthy was, indeed, payback for the ethics probe," a Daily Beast report noted, and it added that in the communications, Gaetz singled out McCarthy individually for reviving an Ethics Committee probe against him, and he indicated that his animus toward McCarthy was over that investigation."
Republican congressional sources spoke with the outlet, and they stated that "Gaetz also acknowledged his revenge motive behind closed doors." This included one instance where he spoke with other House colleagues and admitted that "his push to remove McCarthy was a direct response to the ethics investigation."
The report noted that the Florida Republican "specifically blamed McCarthy for the return of the probe," with a senior GOP congressional staffer also telling the outlet, "I've heard him complain about Kevin because of it."
New Witness in House Ethics Probe Includes a Woman Who Had Sex With Matt Gaetz as a Minor
The probe into the Matt Gaetz sex trafficking scandal finally moved forward when it was revealed that the House Ethics Committee is now talking to several new witnesses. A CNN report revealed that one of those said witnesses is a "woman whom the congressman allegedly had sexual relations with when she was a 17-year-old minor."
The committee also reached out to the DOJ and requested materials it gathered while investigating the controversial Florida congressman who stands accused of lobbying violations, sex trafficking of a minor, and possible obstruction of justice.
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: House Republicans Are Zeroing In On Trafficking Allegations Against Matt Gaetz - The Ring of Fire