Rep. Matt Gaetz on Monday moved to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy from the top House leadership post, offering a motion to vacate the chair on the House floor – a rare procedural move that can be used to force a vote to remove the speaker.

It’s not yet clear how the challenge to McCarthy will play out, but the effort represents the most serious threat to his speakership to date. A floor vote to oust McCarthy would require a majority to succeed.

“Bring it on,” the California Republican wrote on X shortly after the motion. Gaetz responded to the post with one of his own, writing, “Just did.”

The move marks a major escalation in tensions for a House GOP conference that has been mired in in-fighting and could be thrown into chaos if McCarthy is pushed out of the speakership. It comes as a bloc of House conservatives have continued to thwart McCarthy, voting against key priorities of GOP leadership and repeatedly throwing up roadblocks to the speaker’s agenda.

  • @SkyezOpen
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    241 year ago

    Any chance we could see mccarthy unseated and gaetz removed? That would be pretty fantastic to watch. Not great for the country, mind, as it would lead to another week or two of endless voting for a new speaker, but hilarious to watch nonetheless.

    • rynzcycle
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      fedilink
      221 year ago

      In a highly unprecedented move, Speaker McCarthy has opted for trial by combat…