Republican House member slams GOP colleagues after 15 speaker vote rounds, calls Matt Gaetz a “Fraud”

January 9, 2023January 9, 2023 Editor

Speaking on CBS News’ Face the Nation on Sunday, Mace criticized some members of her own party, specifically calling out Rep. Gaetz and newly elected Rep. George Santos

Following a lengthy House speaker election that involved 15 rounds of voting over more than four days at the U.S. Capitol, Republican Rep. Nancy Mace had some harsh words for her colleagues.

After a dramatic and historic fight with members of his own party, Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy was barely elected to succeed Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker early Saturday.

For the first time since 1923, no one was elected House speaker on the first ballot, highlighting significant divisions within the Republican Party, which should have had an easier time picking a speaker as the majority party.

Speaking on CBS News’ Face the Nation on Sunday, Mace criticized some of those in her own party, specifically calling out Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who refused to vote for McCarthy and eventually just voted “present” rather than supporting any candidate by name.

“Matt Gaetz is a fraud,” Mace said on CBS on Sunday, adding that it would be “very difficult” to work with him moving forward.

“Every time he voted against Kevin McCarthy last week, he sent out a fundraising email,” Mace added of Gaetz. “What you saw last week was a constitutional process diminished by those kinds of political actions.”

Mace added that she was “concerned that commonsense legislation will not get through to get a vote on the floor,” due to the right-wing faction of the party now having so much control in the House.

McCarthy struck a deal with right-wing House members like Gaetz and Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert in exchange for the votes required to secure the speakership. As part of the agreement, ultra-conservative Republicans would get one-third of the seats on the important House Rules Committee, which determines which measures go to the floor.

Speaking on Face the Nation, Mace expressed concern that “commonsense” proposals will not be brought to the floor owing to the authority that the far right-wing members of her party will wield: “I am concerned because I want to see pragmatics at work, common sense, fiscal, and conservative problems at work that represent all points of view.”

Mace is concerned about more than just Gaetz, telling CBS that George Santos, the New York representative who recently admitted to falsifying most of his credentials and is now the target of multiple criminal investigations, will be “difficult to work with.”

“It’s extremely difficult to work with somebody who cannot be trusted, and it’s evident his entire portfolio and life were created until a couple of days ago when he finally modified his website,” Mace added.

She continued: “It is a problem. If we say we can’t trust the left when they are telling the truth, how can we trust our own? Americans want transparency, and the one lesson I’ve learned in DC: If you want a friend you can trust, get a dog.”