Gingrich criticizes eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has branded the eight Republican lawmakers who voted to oust Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California as “traitors.”

“From my perspective as a long-time Republican activist, they are traitors,” Gingrich said explained during an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity.” He said they should all be given priority and “pushed out” of “public life”.

After Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida inspired the move to remove McCarthy, he and seven other Republicans joined Democrats in voting to remove McCarthy from the speakership. McCarthy later announced that he would not seek the role again.

Gingrich, who served He served in the Georgia House of Representatives for two decades, from early 1979 to early 1999, and accused the eight Republicans of being “self-centered people.”

He said he hoped Gaetz would be expelled from the House Republican conference.

“If I were speaker, they wouldn’t be attending the conference,” Gingrich said of the eight Republican lawmakers, adding that he would demand that they prove to him that they are loyal Republicans.

The eight Republicans who voted to remove McCarthy included Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ken Buck of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Eli Crane of Arizona, Bob Good of Virginia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Matt Rosendale of Montana and Matt Gaetz of Florida.

Republican Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Steve Scalise of Louisiana have thrown their hats in the ring to replace McCarthy as speaker.

Gaetz has specified that he would be willing to vote for one of the men. “If it’s Speaker Jim Jordan or Speaker Steve Scalise, there will be very few conservatives in the country who don’t see that as a monumental upgrade over Speaker McCarthy,” he said during an appearance on Newsmax.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky has expressed his support for Jordan.

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