GOP congressman and fervent Donald Trump supporter Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) went after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy this week after The New York Times published a report that featured recorded comments from the GOP leader and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), in which they expressed concerns about Gaetz’s remarks about Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
“Rep McCarthy and Rep. Scalise held views about President Trump and me that they shared on sniveling calls with Liz Cheney, not us,” Gaetz wrote on Twitter. “This is the behavior of weak men, not leaders.”
Gaetz’s tweet came after the Times reported on Tuesday that McCarthy, during a call with GOP leadership on Jan. 10, 2021, said Gaetz was “putting people in jeopardy” with his incendiary rhetoric.
McCarthy was particularly concerned with comments the Florida Republican made that attacked Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), according to the Times.
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“And he doesn’t need to be doing this. We saw what people would do in the Capitol, you know, and these people came prepared with rope, with everything else,” McCarthy said on the call while discussing Gaetz.
Scalise also expressed worries regarding Gaetz’s comments, suggesting that the remarks could be unlawful.
“This is serious stuff. It has to stop,” Scalise said. “It’s potentially illegal what he’s doing.”
“These members calling out other members, that stuff’s got to stop,” McCarthy said. “The tension is too high. The country is too crazy. I do not want to look back and think we caused something. … I don’t want to play politics with any of that,” he added.
Gaetz, however, said that McCarthy and Scalise were “protecting Liz Cheney from criticism” while he was safeguarding Trump from impeachment.
Read his statement below:
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) April 26, 2022
