Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) told Newsmax on Sunday that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is nothing more than a “front man,” adding that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “still rules with an iron fist.”
After Jim Jordan was elected Speaker-Designate on Friday, Speaker Pro Tem @PatrickMcHenry made us take Saturday off, Sunday off, and now MONDAY OFF!
The Swamp is trying to delay a vote on the House floor as long as possible, hoping conservatives will move backward to Kevin… pic.twitter.com/Z9SjqiNRz0
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) October 15, 2023
Gaetz’s colorful commentary came in response to questions about public sparring between Republicans that has many Americans questioning whether their party is fracturing at the most inopportune of times.
Earlier this month, Gaetz filed a motion to vacate Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as House Speaker. As a handful of Republicans and more Democrats joined him in the ousting, he celebrated his success by vacating that office.
Now, the race to elect a new Speaker is on, and Gaetz hasn’t shied away from making sure his followers on the right know what he deems to be the truth about Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).
Backing up his claim, Gaetz said of Pelosi and the House Democrats, “She’s still the one in charge of that conference…I mean, Hakeem Jeffries is the frontman, but the person who’s really calling the shots among the Democrats is Nancy Pelosi.”
Pelosi stepped down from her role as speaker when the Democrats lost their House majority back in 2022. A special election in the weeks following resulted in McCarthy taking the mantle. But it was Jeffries who led the House Democrats as minority leader in the next Congressional session.
Gaetz shared his concerns with Newsmax that the Republicans who delayed the vote for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) did so as a power play in an attempt to get McCarthy back in the House seat.
The GOP base want Speaker Jim Jordan.
But the Establishment Republicans don’t want to vote for America First speaker.
Rep. Mike Rogers is openly talking about making a deal with Democrats rather than vote for Jordan.
Rogers is the same guy who was trying to fight Matt Gaetz… pic.twitter.com/x2a9v6nNNW
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) October 14, 2023
Gaetz said, “ We should not go backward with Kevin McCarthy…We should go forward with Jim Jordan.”
20 Republicans are ready to block Jim Jordan as Speaker of the House. There has been no House Speaker since Kevin McCarthy was ousted by Matt Gaetz and Nancy Mace. Hakeem Jeffries and the House Democrats remain ready to find a bipartisan path forward.pic.twitter.com/xfBzzvNnqO
— Tony – Resistance (@TonyHussein4) October 16, 2023
Gaetz has continued to throw his support behind Jordan. The Trump-backed candidate was Gaetz’s pick back in January before McCarthy scored the nomination, too.
Jordan is reportedly close to securing the vote, but many are arguing he still has work to do.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/10/16/jim-jordan-house-speaker/
