After former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced he would not run for re-election in 2024 and would leave Congress at the end of the month, Rep. Matt Gaetz — who led the charge to oust McCarthy — responded with just one word in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
McLeavin’
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) December 6, 2023
Fellow Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), however, was not as glib as Gaetz about the situation. In a post of her own on X following McCarthy's announcement, Greene noted that "in 2024, we will have a 1 seat majority in the House of Representatives" and laid the blame with members of the Freedom Caucus who joined Gaetz in his vote to strip McCarthy of the gavel:
Well..
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) December 6, 2023
Now in 2024, we will have a 1 seat majority in the House of Representatives.
Congratulations Freedom Caucus for one and 105 Rep who expel our own for the other.
I can assure you Republican voters didn’t give us the majority to crash the ship.
Hopefully no one dies.
As Townhall reported on October 3, the House voted 216-210 on Gaetz's motion to vacate the chair — according to rules agreed to by McCarthy to clinch victory in his drawn-out race to become speaker in January — following an hour of debate that saw Gaetz argue his case from the Democrat side of the House chamber. Gaetz called McCarthy "chaos," even though Gaetz's motion to vacate wrought plenty of chaos itself that triggered another struggle among House Republicans to elect a new speaker.
One of McCarthy's loyal partners in the House, Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) reacted to the news saying he's "disappointed" but "happy for him" in making "a personal choice," adding "obviously I'd like to have him around," per Chad Pergram.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) on the resignation of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) December 6, 2023
Emmer says he’s “disappointed but I’m happy for him.”
Emmer adds: “That’s a personal choice. But obviously I’d like to have him around”