Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) threatened to resign from Congress if Democrats joined Republicans to elect a moderate Republican.
Kevin McCarthy failed to get the necessary 218 votes to get the gavel on 11 ballots between Tuesday and Thursday. With only 222 Republicans in the House, McCarthy could not afford to lose more than four of them. A 12th ballot is set to occur on Friday at noon.
Here’s how the Thursday night exchange between Gaetz, a staunch McCarthy opponent, and Fox News host Laura Ingraham went down:
INGRAHAM: Are you going to be OK, Congressman, will you be OK then if there’s ultimately a deal struck with moderate Democrats if Democrats kind of co-control committees? You’re fine with that?
GAETZ: No, absolutely not. That will not happen. There are two scenarios here —
INGRAHAM: Well, that’s what happened.
GAETZ: No, listen. I’m on the floor, Laura. These 212 Democrats are going to vote for Hakeem Jeffries every single time. He is a historic candidate for them. They are not going to cleave off under any circumstance. I assure you if Democrats join up to elect a moderate Republican, I will resign from the House of Representatives. That is how certain I am. I can assure your viewers that won’t happen.
Gaetz expressed openness to Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) as Speaker contingent on if he would accept rules presented to House GOP leadership by the Freedom Caucus, which Gaetz is a member of. Gaetz said his preference for Speaker is Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who was repeatedly nominated for the top role but did not get anywhere close enough to the necessary 218 votes.
Watch above via Fox News.
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