Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) recently slammed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), saying In a recent appearance on Newsmax that the minority leader is “just a front man” and that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “still rules with an iron fist.”
Gaetz’s comments came while he was explaining the political infighting between the Republican Party compared to the Democratic Party. Notably, the conservative firebrand was recently the center of controversy within his party after he filed a motion to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from the speakership.
McCarthy was ousted from the speakership following Gaetz’s motion to vacate, which was supported by all House Democrats and eight Republicans, as reported by the Daily Caller.
Gaetz said it’s not Jeffries who controls House Democrats, but rather it’s Pelosi.
“By the way, she’s still the one in charge of that conference,” Gaetz said on Newsmax’s “Sunday Agenda.” “I mean, Hakeem Jeffries is the frontman, but the person who’s really calling the shots among the Democrats is Nancy Pelosi.”
Pelosi previously served as House Speaker in 2022 but stepped down from the position after Republicans gained the majority in the House upon the conclusion of the 2022 midterms.
After Pelosi retired the gavel, Democrats turned to Jeffries as minority leader in the next session of Congress. Jeffries was the Democrats’ nominee for House Speaker in January 2023, but, of course, McCarthy ended up being the victor in the race for speaker.
As of today, Republicans have chosen Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, as speaker-designate.
Gaetz said that the vote to choose Jordan as House Republicans’ nominee for speaker had been delayed multiple times amid efforts of moderate Republicans to reinsert McCarthy as House speaker.
“We should not go backward with Kevin McCarthy,” Gaetz said. “We should go forward with Jim Jordan.”
On X, formerly known as Twitter, Gaetz pointed out the efforts of Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-NC) to delay voting for Jordan on the House floor.
After Jim Jordan was elected Speaker-Designate on Friday, Speaker Pro Tem @PatrickMcHenry made us take Saturday off, Sunday off, and now MONDAY OFF!
The Swamp is trying to delay a vote on the House floor as long as possible, hoping conservatives will move backward to Kevin… pic.twitter.com/Z9SjqiNRz0
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) October 15, 2023
“After Jim Jordan was elected Speaker-Designate on Friday, Speaker Pro Tem @PatrickMcHenry made us take Saturday off, Sunday off, and now MONDAY OFF!” Gaetz wrote on X.
“The Swamp is trying to delay a vote on the House floor as long as possible, hoping conservatives will move backward to Kevin…” he added.
