Representative Matt Gaetz accused House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of lying after Republican leaders claimed that members of the House Freedom Caucus were “collaborating with” Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat, to undermine him.
Gaetz (R-Fla.), who refused to support McCarthy’s House speaker bid in January, recently threatened to oust the California Republican from his top position in the lower house over his support for a stopgap measure to fund the government and for his actions. approach to the potential impeachment of President Biden.
“Matt is working with Eric Swalwell, but let me be clear,” McCarthy told CNN, when asked about the party feud. “Matt is disappointed with the ethics complaint. I don’t care what they threaten me with. I’m not going to interfere in an independent committee like ethics, and I’m not going to put Swalwell back on the Intel committee. So, they can do whatever they want.”
Representative Matt Gaetz is seen at the US Capitol after making remarks on the House floor calling Kevin McCarthy “insubordinate,” on September 12, 2023. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Gaetz is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee for various allegations of impropriety, including sexual misconduct, illegal drug use, sharing inappropriate images on the House floor, misuse of state identification records, improper use of campaign funds, bribery and receiving unauthorized gifts .
In May, an ethics panel ended a two-year investigation into Swalwell over his ties to suspected Chinese spy Christine Fang by taking no action against the California Democrat.
However, Swalwell’s alleged ties to Fang cost him his seat on the House Intelligence Committee earlier this year, with McCarthy accusing the lawmaker of undermining “the national security mission and surveillance — ultimately making our country less secure.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks to reporters after a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the US Capitol on Sept. 13. 2023. ZUMAPRESS.com
McCarthy’s suspicions of collusion between Gaetz and Swalwell may refer to a weekend tweet by the Florida lawmaker, which read, “Hi, Eric. If I make a motion to remove Kevin, how is that possible? [sic] democrat vote can i expect? Asking for friends….”
Gaetz vehemently denied on Wednesday that the ethics probe had anything to do with his threat to move to impeach Congress.
“I’m the most investigated person in the entire Congress, and there you see Kevin McCarthy lying like a dead dog because I never asked him to intervene in any ethics matter,” Gaetz said in an interview with MSNBC, adding that the speaker’s comments is “a despicable lie from a sad, pathetic man who lies to hold power.”
An ethics panel has ended its investigation into Eric Swalwell over his links to suspected Chinese spies. AP
McCarthy announced on Tuesday that the House would open an impeachment inquiry into Biden, 80, over his alleged involvement in his son Hunter Biden’s foreign business deals.
Gaetz criticized the investigation, calling it a “baby step” that he said came only after “weeks of pressure from conservatives.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
