Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz has fired back at critics of his move to oust former-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in a letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal that declares: “The Wall Street Journal editorial board has criticized me for my successful motion-to-vacate… This is the first regime change the editorial board has likely ever taken issue with. Would it have been better if I found an extremist Sunni Muslim to become speaker?”
In the weeks following Gaetz’s successful ‘motion to vacate’ that ended McCarthy’s speakership, the staunch conservative and populist lawmaker became the target of blame for establishment Republicans and the corporate media as House Republicans struggled to select a new Speaker.
Gaetz’s letter, however, takes a victory lap over his naysayers, explaining: “I understand why Karl Rove (“The Unmaking of the Republican Majority,” op-ed, Oct. 19) and the Journal are upset. You used to be important. For many years, the Republican Party was controlled by your brand of politics—amnesty for illegal immigrants, intervention overseas and deference to corporate America.”
In closing, he writes: “Kevin McCarthy is no longer speaker. Instead, Mike Johnson—a committed conservative who will stick to his word—will lead the House. This might upset fans of the status quo, but the stability favored by the establishment resulted in runaway debt and an open border. I will continue disrupting the system to better the lives of my constituents.”
