Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) lashed out at Republican colleague Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida after he said he would try to end Rep. Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) speakership.
During an interview on Fox News, host Maria Bartiromo noted that Gaetz said on Sunday that he would bring a motion to vacate to oust McCarthy over a government funding bill.
"It's an absolute waste of time if he brings a motion to vacate," Smith said. "The only way a motion to vacate could be successful is if Matt Gaetz did exactly what he yells at Speaker McCarthy doing, and that's working with the Democrats."
"He'd have to get more than 200 plus Democrats to join him to remove Kevin McCarthy, because more than 200 Republicans are 100% behind Speaker McCarthy," he added. "If, in fact, he does this motion to vacate, Maria, that will only slow walk the process of getting to every one of those individual funding bills that he proclaims that he wants to pass."
Smith predicted Gaetz would work with Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to remove McCarthy.
"And let me tell you, if you remove a Republican speaker that then puts the Democrats empowered, these investigations [of President Joe Biden] will be done and stalled," the lawmaker said.
