Kevin McCarthy didn’t hold back in his latest public jab at Matt Gaetz, calling the Florida congressman’s short-lived bid to become Donald Trump’s attorney general a “fear for all young girls.” The comment comes amid the ongoing rivalry between the two Republicans, who have clashed repeatedly since Gaetz led the charge to oust McCarthy as House Speaker in October 2023.
Appearing on Fox News’ Jesse Watters Primetime on Monday night, McCarthy couldn’t resist taking a shot at Gaetz after the latter’s failed attempt to join Trump’s administration. Gaetz, nominated for attorney general on November 13, resigned from the House shortly after in a bid to end an ongoing ethics investigation and avoid further scrutiny. However, the nomination quickly unraveled as it became clear he wouldn’t have enough support for confirmation in the Senate.
McCarthy, using the opportunity to further settle scores, commended the Trump administration for “getting rid of the problem,” taking aim at Gaetz’s past controversies. “At this moment in time, you look at his [Trump’s] poll approval, what he’s doing with this new transition,” McCarthy said. “Got rid of the problem, now he’s in a very good place, and the approval’s high.”
When Jesse Watters pointedly asked if the “problem” McCarthy was referring to was Gaetz, McCarthy responded with an icy remark: “Well, that’s a fear for all young girls. They need their justice.”
Watters, attempting to lighten the mood, joked, “Oh stop it… You guys hate each other. We’re going to have a pay-per-view fight between you two.” But McCarthy was undeterred, delivering a final blow. “No, no, let’s be very honest,” he said. “There’s no reason why that man should’ve ever been nominated. Those girls need justice, and that is not the place for him. He would’ve stayed in Congress if he’d cared about that.”
Gaetz’s controversial tenure was marred by an ongoing Department of Justice investigation into allegations of sex trafficking, including accusations that he paid for sex with an underage girl—charges he has vehemently denied. While the DOJ investigation ended without charges, the House Ethics Committee continued its probe, which was briefly paused during the DOJ investigation and resumed in mid-2023, shortly before Gaetz spearheaded the effort to oust McCarthy as Speaker.
McCarthy had previously suggested that Gaetz’s motivations in seeking his ouster were personal, alleging that Gaetz was upset about his own past behavior. In April 2023, McCarthy commented that Gaetz had pushed him out of office because of an incident involving a 17-year-old.
The feud between McCarthy and Gaetz has now come to symbolize the fractious and increasingly bitter divisions within the Republican Party, as both men jockey for influence in the post-Trump era. With Gaetz’s AG nomination now in the rearview mirror, it seems the rivalry between the two will only continue to intensify.
