Republican Representative Matt Gaetz filed a motion on Monday to remove his party colleague Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the US House of Representatives. The reason for the motion is the agreement that McCarthy concluded with the Democratic Party and with which a shutdown from the government was prevented.
The House must vote on the motion within two days. If a majority of delegates support the motion, McCarthy would become the first Speaker of the House of Representatives in the country’s history to be removed. Gaetz said Monday to CNN to have “enough Republicans” to remove McCarthy from office.
Gaetz, originally from Florida, is one of the Trump loyalists within the Republican Party. During McCarthy’s lengthy nomination process as Speaker of the House, Gaetz voted against McCarthy’s appointment at least ten times. Last weekend’s agreement with the Democrats was the last straw for the representative, who has been threatening the motion for months. Gaetz accuses his fellow party of having made secret deals with the Democrats.
It is unclear whether Gaetz’s motion can count on support from Democrats. Despite last weekend’s agreement, many Democrats are outraged by the impeachment inquiry that McCarthy announced in September. The Republicans currently have five more seats in the House of Representatives, but there is great division within the party about the direction to be taken.
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