Back in January, when the Freedom Caucus — along with a few other holdouts — held up the confirmation of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), McCarthy himself decided to agree to “most procedural and policy demands” of the holdouts in order to move the confirmation along. Of course, McCarthy was eventually confirmed as Speaker, where he’s resided since.
But, after McCarthy announced on Wednesday that House Republicans will open an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) took to the House floor to call McCarthy out for not living up to his end of the agreement made back in January.
“I rise today to serve notice,” Gaetz began. “Mister Speaker, you are out of compliance with the agreement that allowed you to assume this role. The path forward for the House of Representatives is to either bring you into immediate total compliance or remove you pursuant to a motion to vacate the chair.”
Gaetz then went into a list of things that the group and McCarthy must’ve agreed on that the Speaker apparently hasn’t lived up to during his tenure.
We have had no vote on term limits or on balanced budgets, as the agreement demanded and required. There’s been no full release of the January 6 tapes, as you promised. There’s been insufficient accountability for the Biden crime family. And instead of cutting spending to raise the debt limit, you relied on budgetary gimmicks and recisions so that you ultimately ending up serving as the valet to underwrite Biden’s debt and advance his spending agenda.
Related: House Speaker McCarthy Announces Impeachment Inquiry: ‘Here’s What We Know So Far’
After that, Gaetz called out McCarthy for dragging his feet in pursuing legal action against President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter.
Mister Speaker, you boasted in January that we would use the power of the subpoena and the power of the purse. But here we are, eight months later and we haven’t even sent the first subpoena to Hunter Biden. That’s how you know that the rushed and, you know, somehow rattled performance you just saw from the Speaker isn’t real. At this point during Democrat control over the House of Representatives, they had already brought in Don [Trump] Jr. three times, and we haven’t even sent the first subpoena to Hunter Biden.
A couple of minutes later, towards the end of his comments, Gaetz then directly called on McCarthy to “vacate” his speaker position should he not “build” on his opening salvo of opening an inquiry into the impeachment of Biden.
Mister Speaker, dust off our written January agreement. You have a copy. Reflect on the spirit of that agreement, and build on the start that we had moments ago. Begin to comply. No continuing resolutions, individual spending bills or bust, votes on balanced budgets and term limits, subpoenas for Hunter Biden and members of the Biden family who have been grifting off of this country and the impeachment for Joe Biden that he so richly deserves. Do these things or face a motion to vacate the chair.
Gaetz concluded his statement with a promise.
“I know that Washington isn’t a town known for people keeping their word,” Gaetz said. “Well Speaker McCarthy, I’m here to hold you to yours.”
For Gaetz's full comments, watch below:
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Shocking answer given to @pdoocy about why Joe Biden is not in NYC on 9/11
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Doocy: "The analogy that I was given is that 22 years after Pearl Harbor, U.S. Presidents were not still going to visit Hawaii."pic.twitter.com/G4OTK3FNYm