Pelosi mocks Gaetz’s attempt to vacate McCarthy: ‘He has no sway’

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) shared her skepticism that an effort to vacate current House Speaker Kevin McCarthy would succeed.

Pelosi appeared on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday promptly after Rep. Matt Gaetz’s interview, where he promised to file a motion to vacate McCarthy later this week. Gaetz cited McCarthy passing a clean resolution with House Democrats against the wishes of some of his fellow Republicans as reason enough to vacate.

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“Hakeem Jeffries has done a great job yesterday. We had a victory in the continuing resolution. It was a victory for Democrats, a defeat for the MAGAs,” Pelosi said. “It’s just not about the budget. It’s about a values debate. And you’re wasting your time on that guy [Gaetz] because he has no sway in the House of Representatives. Except to get on TV and to raise money on the internet.”

“But anyway, forgetting that, I’m talking about a serious leader,” Pelosi finished before she praised the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).

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In order to vacate McCarthy, it would take 218 votes, and it’s unclear whether Gaetz will have enough support without the help of Democrats. However, with 212 Democratic members, it would only take a small number of Republicans to defect in order for the motion to pass. It only takes one member to file the motion in the first place.

McCarthy replaced Pelosi as a result of the 2022 midterm elections. Pelosi opted to step down as the minority leader, and Jefferies has replaced her as the party leader in the House.