The natural successor to McCarthy would be House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who is out getting treatment for multiple myeloma. Majority Whip Tom Emmer and conference chair Elise Stefanik would also be obvious choices, but they both took themselves out of the running.
Ultimately, McCarthy has no one to blame but himself for Gaetz’s motion. McCarthy won the speakership in January only after 15 rounds of votes and ceding most of his power to the farthest-right wing of his party. Gaetz has been threatening to file a motion to vacate for months.
But Gaetz may be in hot water now too. Ousting McCarthy and plunging the House further into shambles is unlikely to boost his standing among fellow Republicans. The House GOP is already planning to expel him, depending on whether the Ethics Committee finds him guilty of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use, among other things.
I_Lick_Bananas on October 5th, 2023 at 20:05 UTC »
Just my opinion, but it makes them look just as bad for knowing and not doing anything earlier. Like people mock "Gym" Jordan, they need to be calling out everybody who's now just casually admitting they knew what Gaetz was doing and ignored it.
Overclocked11 on October 5th, 2023 at 19:48 UTC »
"“Matt Gaetz, to say he came here as a fiscal crusader, it’s more likely he came here for the teenage interns on Capitol Hill, to be honest,” Short said Wednesday night on CNN. "
Delicious Roast
gfh110 on October 5th, 2023 at 19:41 UTC »
I believe it's colloquially known as "getting Cawthorned."