(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., took a sharp jab at the “Gaetz Eight,” the group that voted to oust McCarthy as House speaker and attempted to sway votes for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in exchange for their own expulsion.
In what was described as a mocking letter, McClintock openly derided the actions of the group, expressing a sarcastic appreciation for their bargaining, calling the offer “perhaps the most selfless act in American history.”
McClintock did not mince his words in the two-page letter. “Your letter of October 20, in which you graciously offer to martyr yourselves as long as you can get way, is perhaps the most selfless act in American history,” he said.
“I was certain our Republican colleagues ‘who refuse to vote’ within the Republican majority would have been inspired by your stirring example of party discipline and loyalty to ‘vote with the team,’ as you so eloquently phrased it,” McClintock declared.
NEW: Rep. Tom McClintock is taking aim at the members who ousted McCarthy’s recent vow that they would be willing to be disciplined and expelled from the conference in order to get Jordan the gavel, with the California Republican clapping back in a sassy new letter. pic.twitter.com/UgY8WhcOWR
— Juliegrace Brufke (@juliegraceb) October 21, 2023
The “Gaetz Eight” had proposed a bargain, stating they would face any form of censure or removal from the Conference if the House conference supported Jordan’s bid.
“If the holdouts who refuse to vote for Speaker-Designate Jordan would be willing to ‘vote with the team’ and elect him the 56th House Speaker, we are prepared to accept censure, suspension, or removal from the Conference to accomplish this objective,” the seven lawmakers claimed in a letter.
However, McClintock’s retort did not hold back. “We should have appreciated how you (and 206 House Democrats) saved us from a Republican Speaker. We truly don’t deserve you,” he added in a mocking tone.
“But your sacrifice is not in vain. You have succeeded in replacing the outdated concept of majority rule with an exciting new standard that a Speaker must be elected by 98.2 percent of the Republican conference,” McClintock stated, adding, “Someday, a messiah will be born unto us who can achieve this miraculous threshold, and on that day your judgement will be vindicated and you will be hailed as the geniuses that you are.”
The bargain letter was initially signed by Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., Eli Crane, R-Ariz., Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Bob Good, R-Va., Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Matt Rosendale, R-Mont.
Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., voted to oust McCarthy but refused to sign the letter as he opposed Jordan’s speaker’s bid.
