Speaker Candidate Jim Jordan Defends ‘Talented’ Matt Gaetz From Calls for Expulsion: ‘We Gotta Come Together’

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who is vying to succeed Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as speaker of the House, told NBC’s Ali Vitali that he would not support a measure to expel Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) from the Republican conference over his efforts to eject McCarthy from the position on Thursday.

“I don’t think that’s warranted,” said Jordan of the calls for Gaetz’s expulsion. “We’ve got a four-seat majority, Matt’s a talented member of Congress. I disagree with what he did … but he’s a great member of our committee … I think we gotta come together.”

Before the vote to oust McCarthy took place late Tuesday afternoon, Jordan and Gaetz sparred on the House floor over McCarthy and the broader GOP majority’s record.

“Because of our oversight, we know that parents were targeted by the Department of Justice. Because of our oversight, we know that 51 former intel officials misled the country weeks before the most important election we have. And because of our oversight, the Disinformation Governance Board at the Department of Homeland Security is gone,” asserted Jordan during the exchange. “Because of our oversight, the memo attacking pro-life Catholics has been rescinded. Because of our oversight, unannounced visits to Americans’ home by the Internal Revenue Service has stopped. That happened under Speaker McCarthy.”

“It is difficult,” shot back Gaetz, “to champion oversight when House Republicans haven’t even sent a subpoena to Hunter Biden. So it’s hard to make the argument that oversight is the reason to continue when it sort of looks like failure theater.”

Gaetz — who personally filed the motion to take the gavel away from McCarthy — was joined by 7 other Republicans and the entirety of the Democratic caucus in eventually successfully vacating the chair.

On Wednesday, Semafor reported that McCarthy’s staff was making calls on behalf Jordan’s nascent campaign for speaker, although it’s unclear if McCarthy himself endorsed the effort.

Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) is also running to succeed McCarthy, with whom the New York Times has suggested he has a rocky relationship.

Watch above via MSNBC.