The historic removal of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House of Representatives last Tuesday was made possible by eight Republican congressmen. Seven conservative legislators joined Matt Gaetz's initiative to behead a member of their own party, accusing him of being untrustworthy, not keeping his word and making a deal with the Democrats. Among those who voted "yes" to bring down the speaker, are four of the five original members of Never Kevin, (Gaetz, Andy Biggs, Matt Rosendale and Bob Good), Eli Crane, who signed a letter against McCarthy's investiture with eight other representatives in January, who were joined by three others who voted in favor of the conservative candidate in the elections (Ken Buck, Tim Burchett and Nancy Mace).
Matt Gaetz
The representative from Florida is one of the men most hated by his party colleagues in the Capitol right now. His opposition to McCarthy from minute zero reached its zenith the day the speaker announced the opening of the impeachment process against President Biden, when Gaetz threatened for the first time to present the motion of censure. Something that he finally fulfilled after the approval of the legislation that temporarily avoided the government shutdown. In the last few hours, Gaetz re-uploaded a video of his speech on the first day of voting recommending Jim Jordan.
After the vote, McCarthy again insisted that Gaetz's reasons for taking him down were purely personal. The former speaker added that the Florida congressman does not forgive him for refusing to intervene on his behalf in the investigation that the Ethics Committee opened against him.
The fight is not over.
Now we must elect a Speaker.
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) October 3, 2023
Andy Biggs
An original member of Never Kevin, Biggs, has always been critical of McCarthy's spokesperson. In RRSS he justified his vote because "President McCarthy has not proven to be an effective leader who changes the status quo. He has gone against many of the promises he made in January and can no longer be trusted at the head of the party."
It is time for a motion to vacate.
It is time for change in Washington. pic.twitter.com/vHp4GQgyHa
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) October 3, 2023
Bob Good
He was also part of the group that opposed McCarthy's appointment from the beginning. In his speech at the plenary session , Wood stressed that "the American people need a president who will fight to keep the promises Republicans made to get the majority, not someone who cuts fiscally irresponsible deals that get more Democrat than Republicans votes."
The American people need a Speaker who will fight to keep the promises Republicans made to get the majority, not someone who cuts fiscally irresponsible deals that get more Democrat votes than Republican votes. pic.twitter.com/jEQ46yyZNS
— Congressman Bob Good (@RepBobGood) October 3, 2023
Matt Rosendale
The last of the five Never Kevin to endorse Gaetz ( Ralph Norman, the fifth member of the group voted to save McCarthy). Rosendale also justified his decision to unseat the House Speaker for his broken promises and accused him of "failed leadership."
McCarthy addressed harsh words to this congressman in his farewell to the media, accusing him of "praying" that the Republicans would not achieve a large victory in the 2022 midterms. "Matt Rosendale. He goes to mass every day. But you know what he said his prayer was all last year? That Republicans didn’t have a big victory. That they had a narrow victory, he noted.
Unfortunately, Kevin McCarthy violated his promise to the American people and the Republican Conference by working against them repeatedly and supporting ploys to aid the Left. This demonstration of failed leadership is exactly why I plan on supporting the motion to vacate this…
— Matt Rosendale (@RepRosendale) October 3, 2023
Eli Crane
Despite not being part of the initial opponents, Crane did join the movement against McCarthy before the vote in a letter in which eight members of the Freedom Caucus positioned themselves against the then leader of the Republicans in Congress. In the days before the motion, the Arizona legislator made it clear on social media that he will support Gaetz's initiative.
— Rep. Eli Crane (@RepEliCrane) October 3, 2023
Ken Buck
Buck voted for McCarthy's inauguration from the first occasion in which the Chamber elected the new speaker. However, McCarthy's pacts with the Democrats to increase the spending ceiling and avoid a government shutdown led the veteran congressman to turn his back on the president.
McCarthy is a favorite with the special interest groups in Washington, D.C. They knew they could get whatever they wanted in an omnibus as long as Kevin McCarthy was Speaker.
It's time to change the incentive structures in Washington: self-interest ➡️ fiscal responsibility. pic.twitter.com/yN2wh44pIJ
— Rep. Ken Buck (@RepKenBuck) October 4, 2023
Tim Burchett
He also backed McCarthy to raise the bar in the January vote. However, he voted in favor of his friend's impeachment "for the good of the American people." According to Burchett, "we need leadership that will take real action to manage our country's serious financial crisis and steer us in a better direction."
I voted for the motion to vacate, as I said I would. Here's my statement. pic.twitter.com/IUewrPGGqK
— Rep. Tim Burchett (@RepTimBurchett) October 3, 2023
Nancy Mace
The only woman in the group, and the vote that seems to have stung the former speaker the most, based on his statements against her at the end of the vote. Although Mace voted in favor of handing over the reward to McCarthy from the beginning, the speakers "broken promises" caused her to vote for his removal.
The words hurt McCarthy, who accused the congresswoman of lying: "I called her chief of staff … I said, ‘Can you please tell me, I don’t understand? Where have I not kept my word?’ The Chief of staff said, ‘You have kept your word 100%'. I bite my lip, I let people say things that are not true. But it’s not right. It is not right. Her chief of staff told all of us we have kept every single one of our words. And he said he’s told her that, too."
Today I voted for the Motion to Vacate and remove the Speaker.
This isn’t about left vs right.
This isn’t about ideology.
This is about trust and keeping your word.
This is about making Congress do it’s job.
(1/7)— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) October 3, 2023
