GOP Lawmaker Calls Out 'Charlatan' Matt Gaetz Over Attempt To Oust House Speaker McCarthy: 'Wake Up, Dude'

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) has publicly rebuked his colleague, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), for attempting to remove the House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from his leadership role.

What Happened: Gaetz has been pushing to oust McCarthy and initiated a move to unseat him from his position as House Speaker. Gaetz alleges that McCarthy colluded with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown and accuses him of secretly negotiating with President Joe Biden on aid for Ukraine.

Discussing Gaetz’s push to unseat McCarthy, Lawler told CNN's Jake Tapper, "Wake up, dude.”

“This is absolutely ridiculous, and it's just him trying to latch on to something else to create chaos."

He also labeled Gaetz as a “charlatan.”

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Lawler warned that Gaetz’s actions could jeopardize the Republicans’ efforts under McCarthy to create a bill aimed at cutting spending and advancing other conservative causes. "We are doing the work. This will be a major distraction from that work," he added.

Lawler also mentioned that GOP conference members are growing weary of Gaetz’s disruptive behavior. "Matt has been a singular destructive force within the conference, and the American people should understand that what he is doing is not conservative, it is not conservative Republicanism," Lawler said.

Why It Matters: Frustration has been growing among Gaetz and a group of other far-right Republicans at McCarthy's use of Democratic votes to pass a temporary budget extension to avert a partial government shutdown. A group of approximately 20 Republicans, including Gaetz, had backed McCarthy into a corner by consistently obstructing other legislation.

McCarthy has termed Gaetz's leadership challenge as a disruption, voicing his confidence in surviving. "Bring it on," he posted on the X platform.

There is no precedent for a U.S. House speaker being ousted from the position, which is second in succession for the presidency after the vice president.

Meanwhile, Gaetz is currently under Ethics Committee investigation, with some Republican conference members reportedly planning to push him out of Congress if found guilty.

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