You’d be forgiven for losing track of the retribution shenanigans former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has been up to since he was ousted from Republican leadership and resigned from Congress.
The booted speaker has been on a revenge tour of sorts since he left Washington at the beginning of the year. He and his allies have been hard at work recruiting, endorsing and helping fundraise for primary challengers to the former colleagues who voted strip him of his gavel, like Reps. Nancy Mace (R-SC) and Bob Good (R-VA). But he’s saved his most fiery vengeance for Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who both made his speakership hell and initially filed the motion to vacate, which led to his ousting.
McCarthy officially endorsed Gaetz’s Republican primary challenger Aaron Dimmock in an interview with Politico published Wednesday. A close ally of McCarthy’s also admitted to the publication that they’d played a role in screening Dimmock ahead of his candidacy.
In backing Dimmock, McCarthy officially hit the point of no return in his feud with Gaetz by comparing his former colleague to President Biden’s son, the deadliest of the seven in the Republican-on-Republican cordiality handbook.
“Gaetz is the Hunter Biden of the Republican Party,” McCarthy said. “He’s got an opponent who is pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, trained at Pensacola, went to the Naval Academy and flew jets to defend us while Gaetz was getting kicked out of high school, buying coke and paying minors for sex.”
McCarthy was, of course, referring to the House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of Gaetz’ drug use and sexual activity with a minor, among other things. That investigation, and the fact that McCarthy didn’t quash it as speaker, was reportedly a major factor in Gaetz’ decision to push for his ousting.
In response to the hate crime that is invoking Hunter, Gaetz essentially dared McCarthy to take things outside, as Republican Men are wont.
“I whooped Kevin McCarthy in Washington. I don’t think he’s going to fare better when I’m playing home-field advantage in North Florida,” he said.
The Best Of TPM Today
New from Khaya Himmelman on Trump and his allies’ efforts to set themselves up to challenge the election if Trump doesn’t win in the fall: GOPers Desperate To Pin Blame For Potential Trump 2024 Loss On Non-Citizen Voters ‘Wherever They Are’
Yesterday’s Most Read Story
Trump Loses Bid For Mistrial Before Cross-Examination Of Stormy Daniels Begins — Josh Kovensky
What We Are Reading
When Trump Attacks Our Elections, We Will Have No Excuse — Democracy Docket
RFK Jr.’s new hire who downplayed Jan. 6 appears to have been at the Capitol during the attack — NBC News
World’s top climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5C target — The Guardian
I can’t think of a better name for a Republican congressman endorsed by Kave-in McCarthy than Dimmock.
That said, I agree with him 100% about Pervie Boy Gaetz
The best part is when they stare at you while doing it. Respect!
I would use John Prine’s term for Gaetz, ‘peckerhead’. Ironically, when I tried to use this term on the Washington Post comment site, it was blocked for violating their decency rules. I say ironically because for days they were publishing stories about David Pecker. So I guess it just depends on what kind of peckerhead you are, particularly for Mr. Prine because when he got to heaven he became a dead peckerhead. Gaetz is a live one, but I don’t think he’ll ever get to heaven. He’ll end up in Hell locked in a room with Marjorie Taylor Greene.
I know I rambled a bit, but for those still with me, here is your heavenly reward: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKPDFQRmG_M
Kevin McCarthy, to become Speaker, sold his soul by agreeing to the change in the rules to remove the Speaker from his office. So, he made his own bed, and he is now sleeping in it. What a pathetic excuse for a person.