(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, didn’t hold back in his criticism of certain Republicans within the hard conservative block.
In an interview on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, Gonzales bluntly labeled Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Bob Good, R-Va., as “scumbags.”
“I served 20 years in the military. It’s my absolute honor to be in Congress, but I serve with some real scumbags,” Gonzales stated, launching into his critique of Gaetz. “Look, Matt Gaetz, he paid minors to have sex with him at drug parties.”
Republican Congressman Gonzales: I serve with some real scumbags. Matt Gaetz, he paid minors to have sex with him at drug parties. pic.twitter.com/rPlSsvPH6k
— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) April 21, 2024
Gonzales’s accusations mirrored those of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who similarly accused Gaetz of engaging in sexual activity with a minor. McCarthy contends that Gaetz’s efforts to halt a House Ethics Committee investigation into these allegations led to the motion to vacate, ultimately costing McCarthy his position.
In response to Gonzales’s accusations, Gaetz took to Twitter, alleging that the “Occasionally-Republican” was “laundering lies to CNN.” He further remarked, “The Texas Republican Party has rightly censured Tony for supporting gun control and amnesty.”
Occasionally-Republican @RepTonyGonzales is currently down in the polls to @TheAKGuy.
Probably because he called @chiproytx’s strong border plan “UNCHRISTIAN”
Now he’s laundering lies on CNN.
“Unhinged Outbursts” is one of the final phases a politician goes through prior to…
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) April 21, 2024
Turning his attention to Good, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, Gonzales asserted, “Bob Good endorsed my opponent, a known neo-Nazi. These people used to walk around with white hoods at night. Now, they’re walking around white hoods in the daytime.”
Gonzales’s comments came in response to a question from CNN host Dana Bash regarding Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s threat to initiate a motion to vacate, aiming to oust Johnson from the speakership position.
“Do you have confidence that at this point, given that it is still possible that Marjorie Taylor Greene will push to vacate to kick them out of the speaker’s chair that he can survive,” Bash asked Gonzales.
In response, Gonzales expressed confidence, stating, “He will survive. Look, the House is a rough and rowdy place, but Mike Johnson is going to be just fine.”
At the heart of the motion to vacate threat lies Johnson’s repeated willingness to break party lines in support of Democratic-led initiatives, including two controversial bills that allocate funding to the federal government with limited Republican support.
Most recently, Johnson faced criticism for spearheading the passage of a $95 billion foreign aid bill, allocating $60.8 billion to Ukraine, $26.4 billion to Israel and $8 billion to bolster Indo-Pacific security.
Mike Johnson’s Speakership is OVER!
He has betrayed Republicans by handing the gavel to Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and the rest of the Democrats.
He betrayed us on border security.
He betrayed us on funding endless foreign wars.
He betrayed us on FISA.
He… pic.twitter.com/zUquP3DNFH
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) April 21, 2024
