Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C) called fellow Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz (Fla.) a “fraud” for raising money off his efforts to block Kevin McCarthy from the speakership.
During an appearance on CBS’s “Face The Nation,” Mace, who has called Gaetz a “D-lister” and has sparred with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, was asked how she plans to work with these two lawmakers to get anything done in the next two years.
“It’s going to be very difficult,” Mace told host Margaret Brennan. “Matt Gaetz is a fraud. Every time he voted against Kevin McCarthy last week he sent out a fundraising email. What you saw last week was a constitutional process diminished by those kinds of political actions. I don’t support that kind of behavior.”
Gaetz was among a group of 20 House Republicans who blocked McCarthy from becoming Speaker for four days and 14 rounds of voting. That number was whittled down to 6 in the 15th round.
All 6, including Gaetz, voted ‘present’ to lower the threshold for the number of votes McCarthy needed to secure the speakership.
However, there are concerns about what McCarthy gave up to flip the holdouts.
“We don’t know what they got, or didn’t get,” Mace said. “We haven’t seen it. We don’t have any idea what promises were made or what gentleman’s handshakes were made. We just have no idea at this point. And it does give me quite a bit of heartburn.”
“I am on the fence right now about the rules package vote tomorrow for that reason,” Mace added.
