Rep. Lauren Boebert has condemned "childish" attempts by Republican lawmakers to expel Matt Gaetz from the GOP conference after he initiated the ouster of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
"My colleagues would be sorely mistaken to take a childish, vengeful route and try to expel my friend @MattGaetz for standing up to failed leadership," Boebert wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.
McCarthy was targeted by hardline Republicans after he cooperated with Democrats to reach a deal that avoided a partial government shutdown. He was removed from his post on Tuesday, less than a year after being elected in a grueling 15-ballot vote.
The vote to remove him, triggered by Florida Republican Gaetz with a tool known as motion to vacate, was 216-210. Eight Republican lawmakers joined Democrats to support the motion. They were Gaetz, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ken Buck of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Eli Crane of Arizona, Bob Good of Virginia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Matt Rosendale of Montana.
Boebert voted against removing McCarthy, saying "No, for now" when called on.
Gaetz, an ally of Donald Trump and one of the loudest voices among ultraconservative Republicans, accused McCarthy of conspiring with the White House to keep funding Ukraine in its defense against Russia—which the former Speaker has strongly denied.
McCarthy told reporters that Gaetz's motion was an attention-seeking move, saying during a press conference: "You know it was personal, it had nothing to do with spending."
Other Republicans have expressed dissatisfaction with Gaetz's actions. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska told reporters on Tuesday: "I'd love to have him out of the conference … He shouldn't be in the Republican Party."
Rep. Garret Graves, a McCarthy ally, said Gaetz's efforts to fundraise off the back of the ouster were "disgusting."
On Wednesday Rep. Michael Lawler of New York told reporters that he believed the Florida Republican should be expelled from the party's conference.
Newt Gingrich, who was House Speaker from 1995 to 1999, has called for Gaetz's expulsion in a Washington Post op-ed.
In a statement to Newsweek, Gingrich described the eight Republicans as "traitors in a political sense."
He said: "Gaetz and his accomplices have betrayed their colleagues by plunging the House into chaos. They have been totally destructive to the conservative efforts to check this administration and do good things for the American people."
My colleagues would be sorely mistaken to take a childish, vengeful route and try to expel my friend @MattGaetz for standing up to failed leadership.
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) October 4, 2023Some hardline Republicans are now calling for former President Trump to become Speaker.
Trump has not commented on the calls to expel Gaetz, but on Tuesday he posted on Truth Social: "Why is it that Republicans are always fighting among themselves, why aren't they fighting the Radical Left Democrats who are destroying our Country?"
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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