Here's the 'Hitchhiker's Guide' to Matt Gaetz's Plot to Remove Kevin McCarthy

 Matt Vespa

"Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is filing a motion to vacate to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy over the stopgap measure that averted a government shutdown. Speaker McCarthy had to solicit Democrat votes to pass the continuing resolution, which will keep Congress afloat for another 45 days. The deal struck reportedly involved a separate vote on an aid package to Ukraine. There were no such funds allocated in the shutdown-averting spending bill passed yesterday (via NBC News): . . .

I will file a motion to vacate against @SpeakerMcCarthy this week. pic.twitter.com/kFA7X7P2OG

— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) October 1, 2023

. . . 

Matt Gaetz Rages, Says McCarthy Cut Deceitful Side Deal with Democrats (thefederalistpapers.org)   . . . "And if a charge he launched Saturday night has any truth to it, he’s got more ammunition than ever.

"Just after 8 p.m. Saturday, Gaetz picked up on a statement from House Democrats declaring that when the House returns to business, they expect McCarthy to”advance a bill to the House Floor for an up-or-down vote” on funding to support Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.

"Funding for Ukraine was not part of the stopgap spending bill passed by the House and Senate and signed by President Joe Biden late Saturday.

"To Gaetz, the statement was proof that McCarthy had betrayed his own party, which has been leery of giving a blank check to Ukraine.

“ 'Wow,” Gaetz wrote in a post on X, the former Twitter. “@Speaker McCarthy made a side Ukraine deal with Democrats and didn’t tell House Republicans until after his Continuing Resolution passed.

“ 'More deceit.' ” . . .

Matt Gaetz's Gambit to Remove Speaker McCarthy and Wile E. Coyote's Schemes Look a Lot Alike – RedState   . . ."What does that mean? It means that the Democrats will probably end up with a larger voice in the decisions made by McCarthy. He controls the parliamentary process and can help Democrat bills move through the House and bury GOP bills to which the Democrats object. It means that the seat at the table afforded to the Freedom Caucus may no longer exist because McCarthy's job will depend on Democrat votes, and he can afford to ignore rebel Republicans.

"The unanswered question to Gaetz's petition is, if it succeeds, who becomes Speaker? The only man I can see who could pull the votes to win is Steve Scalise, and he has major health issues that would make serving as Speaker very difficult for him. It is easy to see the geniuses who masterminded this move ending up allowing a Democrat to become Speaker.

"Whatever the outcome of the vote, I don't see how this fiasco moves the ball forward for either the Freedom Caucus or the GOP. After forcing a vote on removing McCarthy, a vote that will almost certainly fail, McCarthy will have no incentive to cooperate with conservative members because he doesn't owe them anything. I don't even see how this move aids Matt Gaetz's ambitions. He's going to get very little support.". . .

Why MTG Is Siding With Speaker McCarthy in Removal Battle (townhall.com)  . . .  "McCarthy faces the prospect of losing as many as 20 GOP votes if everything goes pear-shaped for him. The current partisan split in the House is 221 Republicans and 212 Democrats. This means losing five GOP votes could remove him from office if the Democrats vote as a bloc against the resolution. I'm unsure if anyone has thought through this scheme any more than Wile E. Coyote thought through his.

"I'm sure McCarthy will lobby restive Republicans for their vote, but the mere handful of votes needed to remove him from office means that McCarthy has a choice to make. He can either see himself removed from his position, and that would almost certainly require him to resign from Congress, or he can cut a deal with Hakeem Jeffries for the support of the Democrat caucus. My money says McCarthy cuts a deal. 

"What does that mean? It means that the Democrats will probably end up with a larger voice in the decisions made by McCarthy. He controls the parliamentary process and can help Democrat bills move through the House and bury GOP bills to which the Democrats object. It means that the seat at the table afforded to the Freedom Caucus may no longer exist because McCarthy's job will depend on Democrat votes, and he can afford to ignore rebel Republicans.

"The unanswered question to Gaetz's petition is, if it succeeds, who becomes Speaker? The only man I can see who could pull the votes to win is Steve Scalise, and he has major health issues [due to being shot by a murderous democrat. TD] that would make