Matt Gaetz Crashes Kevin McCarthy Interview to Taunt Him at RNC: ‘You Would Get Booed Off the Stage!’
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) crashed an interview with Kevin McCarthy at the Republican National Convention to taunt the former House Speaker.
In an ugly scene caught on video by NewsNation reporter Joe Khalil, Gaetz approached McCarthy while he spoke with CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins.
“What night are you speaking? Are you speaking tonight?” Gaetz said, getting in McCarthy’s face.
As the California Republican, who is at the RNC but not slated to speak, seemed to ignore his former colleague in the House, Gaetz was pulled back by another man.
“If you took that stage you would get booed off of it,” Gaetz said after wiggling away from the restraint.
Very awkward moment- Congressman Matt Gaetz tries to interrupt former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s interviews, taunting him “Hey Kevin, what night are you speaking?” pic.twitter.com/vE1W5FvTqH
— Joe Khalil (@JoeKhalilTV) July 16, 2024
Gaetz and McCarthy had a rough relationship in the House. Gaetz led the effort to overthrow McCarthy as House speaker last year, which was later revealed to be motivated by McCarthy’s refusal to end an ethics investigation into allegations Gaetz paid a minor for sex. McCarthy has since backed his primary opponent in Florida.
“Gaetz is the Hunter Biden of the Republican Party,” McCarthy said earlier this year. “He’s got an opponent who is pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, trained at Pensacola, went to the Naval Academy and flew jets to defend us while Gaetz was getting kicked out of high school, buying coke and paying minors for sex.”
In another angle of the incident, McCarthy can be heard telling Collins: “He’s got an ethics complaint for sleeping with a 17 year old.”
Another angle of the Gaetz confrontation of McCarthy
McCarthy: He’s got an ethics complaint of sleeping with a 17 year old pic.twitter.com/VaEWbW0mTV
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 16, 2024
Khalil asked McCarthy about the incident at the RNC, and the former speaker said it was in response to the ethics probe.
Shortly after this moment, we interviewed former Speaker McCarthy who repeated what we’ve heard from him before- Gaetz is upset with him because he wouldn’t end the ethics investigation into allegations Gaetz paid for sex with a minor. https://t.co/C4I9CgXrqP
— Joe Khalil (@JoeKhalilTV) July 16, 2024
Watch above, via Joe Khalil of NewsNation.
