Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy asserted that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s move to vacate his Speaker’s chair differed significantly from the motion filed against him by Rep. Matt Gaetz last October.
During an interview with Margaret Brennan on CBS’ Face the Nation Sunday, McCarthy expressed skepticism that Greene would push for an actual vote on her motion. He indicated his belief that Greene, whom he described as a policy-driven pragmatist, would be capable of resolving her differences with current Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
McCarthy emphasized the potential for resolving issues through dialogue, particularly when they pertain to policy disagreements. He cited instances where he and Greene had found common ground despite differing opinions.
Contrasting Greene’s situation with Gaetz’s, McCarthy characterized Gaetz’s motion as being driven by personal matters rather than policy. He suggested that Gaetz had attempted to improperly interfere with an ongoing Ethics Committee investigation, which was initiated prior to McCarthy’s tenure as Speaker.
When pressed by Brennan for evidence supporting his allegations against Gaetz, McCarthy alluded to the Ethics Committee’s involvement, stating that Gaetz had approached him with requests that may have involved illegal actions. However, McCarthy clarified that he was not privy to all the details and emphasized the committee’s authority to conduct its investigations independently.
“Look, the one thing I’ve always found, when you sit down with a member and talk to them, find out what their concerns are, especially when it’s based upon policy, you can solve that problem,” McCarthy said, continuing:
And I watched that with Marjorie from the vote to Speaker to the vote for the Fiscal Responsibility Act. There’s times she was a difference of opinion and you sit down and find common ground.
Matt’s case was much different. It’s about a personal thing that he had done and that’s what he was trying to get something illegally stopped. This is not the case here. So I would not be afraid of a motion to vacate. This is about policy. And you remember, our government is designed to find common ground.
Brennan asked McCarthy if he had “evidence to back up” his allegation against Gaetz.
“Well, I think the Ethics Committee — it was purely Matt coming to me trying me to do something illegal to stop the Ethics Committee from moving forward in investigation that was started long before I became a Speaker —
“Something illegal?” Brennan asked.
“I don’t know what the facts are there. It’s a personal issue of what he’d done as a member of Congress. I simply would say the Ethics Committee has the right to look at whatever they’re going forward and I’m not going to get in the middle of it one way or another,” McCarthy said.
