Gaetz demands answers from McCarthy on ‘secret side deal’ with Democrats

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) made his latest threat to Rep. Kevin McCarthy‘s (R-CA) speakership, demanding the Republican leader answer questions about an alleged “back deal” with Democrats to pass a continuing resolution over the weekend to fund the government temporarily.

Gaetz demanded McCarthy answer key questions about how the stopgap measure originated, citing a statement from House Democrats that said they “expect” the speaker to put a bill on the floor that would provide additional aid to Ukraine — prompting the Florida Republican to accuse McCarthy of making a “secret” deal without the knowledge of other Republican leaders.

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“I have talked to members of our own leadership who have said they didn’t know that Speaker McCarthy was negotiating a side deal outside of our conference and leadership for the sake of Ukraine,” he said. “Mr. Speaker, just tell us. Just tell us what’s inside — what was inside the Ukraine side deal.”

Gaetz pressed McCarthy to answer two specific questions on the matter, including “what commitments were made” to President Joe Biden and whether the speaker made other promises in exchange for Democratic support. If those questions aren’t answered, he said, a motion to vacate could come as soon as this week.

“Members of the Republican Party might vote differently on a motion to vacate if they heard what the speaker had to share with us on his secret side deal,” Gaetz said.

McCarthy has denied working out any back deals and has repeatedly brushed off threats by Gaetz, telling reporters Monday morning he’s “not worried about” the motion.

“They elected me to be speaker, so I made a decision. I thought it was best to keep the government open,” he said. “There was no guarantee Democrats would vote for it. … But at times like this, I need to make decisions.”

Gaetz announced Sunday morning that he plans to file the motion, following through with weeks of threats to oust the speaker if he passed a continuing resolution to fund the government temporarily — especially through a deal that garnered the support of House Democrats.

The House voted 335-91 to pass the resolution on Saturday, with more Democrats voting in favor of the legislation than Republicans. More than 90 GOP lawmakers voted against it.

If all Democrats stood against McCarthy and voted for the measure, Gaetz would need at least five Republicans to back the motion. Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) has signaled he would support the move, and Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) said she was “open-minded to the idea.” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) last week indicated he would consider a motion but wouldn’t commit to backing an ouster.

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However, it remains unclear whether Democrats would willingly bail McCarthy out if he faced an ouster. House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) sent an email to House Democrats over the weekend stating that should a motion be filed, party leaders would hold a whip meeting to discuss how they’ll approach the situation.

If Gaetz files the motion this week, party leaders will have 48 hours to bring the motion to the floor for a vote. It’s expected that McCarthy will counter the move with a motion to table, effectively killing the ouster. It’s not clear when a vote would be held on the motion.