Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) took aim at hardline members of the Republican conference on Sunday, calling them “scumbags” and singled out Florida lawmaker Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for allegedly paying minors to have sex with him.
In an interview on CNN’s ‘State of the Union‘ Sunday, host Dana Bash asked Gonzales if Mike Johnson can survive a bid to oust him as speaker amid a revolt from far-right members of his conference after the House approved a $95 billion package of foreign aid bills that would provide additional funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
“He will survive,” Gonzales answered. “Look, the House is a rough and rowdy place, but Mike Johnson is gonna be just fine.”
“I served 20 years in the military. It’s my absolute honor to be in Congress, but I serve with some real scumbags,” he continued. “Matt Gaetz, he paid minors to have sex with him at drug parties. Bob Good endorsed my opponent, a known neo-Nazi. These people used to walk around in white hoods at night. Now they’re walking around with white hoods in the daytime.”
He continued: “Look, it didn’t surprise me that some of these folks voted against aid to Israel, but I was encouraged to see by a nearly 10-to-1 mark that Republicans supported our allies on the battlefield.”
Bash responded by saying, “wow, OK,” before clarifying that the Justice Department investigated Gaetz and decided not to bring charges.
In 2021, Gaetz was investigated by the Department of Justice for alleged sex trafficking of a minor. That case was closed without any charges brought against him. However, the congressman is still being investigated by the House Ethics Committee following reports he showed naked pictures of women to colleagues on the House floor.
Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) endorsed Gonzales’ GOP primary opponent Brandon Herrera who reportedly posted videos that included “Nazi imagery, songs and jokes” online according to Jewish Insider.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to vacate the chair in March, but has not moved forward on her plan to oust Johnson as speaker. Fellow Republican Reps. Paul Gosar of Arizona and Thomas Massie of Kentucky have signaled their support for the effort.
Later in the segment Gonzales told Bash: “Members are tired, we’re exhausted. It has been a brutal Congress, but we’re also dug in. For some reason, these fringe people think as if they have the high ground. They do not.”
