AOC says there is ‘absolutely’ grounds for effort to oust McCarthy from speakership

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said on Sunday she is not ruling out potentially supporting a Republican-led effort to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

The New York Democrat made the comments after being asked during an appearance on CBS’s Face the Nation about Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and other House Republicans threatening to bring a motion to vacate against McCarthy. Ocasio-Cortez said there were “absolutely” grounds for such a motion, arguing that McCarthy had “been very weak.”

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“I think that we would have to cross that bridge when we get to it,” the progressive lawmaker said of supporting a motion against McCarthy, adding that he has “engaged in just absolutely terrible decision making for the American people … We are at the brink of a shutdown right now, and so, absolutely, I think there is grounds.”

“However, we are also in the midst of an extremely chaotic Republican Party, and we do not want chaos to reign in Washington either,” she continued. “So again, I think that is a bridge that we’d cross if we get to it. That is something that the Democratic caucus would also have to come together on and decide how we want to navigate as a collective as well.”

Gaetz, a longtime foe of McCarthy who nearly derailed his speakership bid in January, has been a thorn in the House speaker’s side all year. In order to secure the speaker’s gavel, McCarthy lowered the threshold for a motion to vacate the chair, allowing Gaetz and other critics to threaten his speakership to rein in his negotiating ability with the Senate and White House.

As the House and Senate barrel towards an expected government shutdown, McCarthy has struggled to keep his entire conference aligned during a chaotic appropriations process that is far from over.

“Mr. Speaker, dust off our written January agreement. You have a copy,” Gaetz said earlier this month. “Begin to comply. No continuing resolutions, individual spending bills or bust votes on balanced budgets and term limits, subpoenas for Hunter Biden and the members of the Biden family who’ve been grifting off of this country, and the impeachment for Joe Biden that he so richly deserves.”

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“Do these things or face a motion to vacate the chair,” he threatened.

McCarthy has not been deterred by Gaetz, telling members at a conference meeting in mid-September: “If you want to file a motion to vacate, then file the f***ing motion.”