Newt Gingrich Calls on House Republicans to Expel ‘Actively Destructive’ Matt Gaetz from GOP Conference

Newt Gingrich, a longtime Republican Party elder and former Speaker of the House, is calling on the House GOP to expel Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) from their conference over his efforts to team up with House Democrats to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

In a column for the Washington Post, Gingrich minced no words, leading with the assertion that Gaetz “is an anti-Republican who has become actively destructive to the conservative movement.”

“Some behavior crosses the line — and when it does, there has to be consequences,” argued Gingrich. He continued:

If Gaetz were simply a loudmouthed junior member who attacked McCarthy every day, that would be fine, too. He would just be isolated with a small group of lawmakers who can’t figure out how to get things done. They’d huddle together seeking warmth and reassurance from their fellow incompetents.

But Gaetz has gone beyond regular drama. He is destroying the House GOP’s ability to govern and draw a sharp contrast with the policy disasters of the Biden administration.

Gingrich even went on to approvingly cite Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) who recently noted that Gaetz “has no sway” in Congress.

“Gaetz has been egocentrically going from TV show to TV show and attacking his own party by repeatedly threatening to bring a motion to oust McCarthy as speaker, which he did late Monday,” wrote Gingrich before plunging the dagger:

Furthermore, Gaetz is violating the House Republican Conference rule that states the motion to vacate “should only be available with the agreement of the Republican Conference so as to not allow Democrats to choose the Speaker.” The agreement made when McCarthy became speaker doesn’t supersede the conference rules. Gaetz still needs a majority of the conference.

Gaetz knows he can’t possibly get a majority of the House GOP conference to his side. He is simply violating the rules in the pursuit of personal attention and fundraising — just like Pelosi said.

I served 20 years in the House, including four as speaker. On occasion, I fought against the GOP establishment. I led the fight against President George H.W. Bush’s 1990 tax increase after he had broken his word about “no new taxes.” I felt bound to stay with my commitment to the American voters.

Unlike Gaetz, though, when I rebelled, I represented the majority view of the caucus at the time.

Gaetz’s motion to remove McCarthy should be swiftly defeated, and then he should be expelled from the House Republican Conference. House Republicans have far more important things to do than entertain one member’s ego.

The House is set to vote on the motion to eject McCarthy from his position Tuesday afternoon.