Kevin McCarthy Blames Ouster On Matt Gaetz Trying To Kill Ethics Complaint For ‘Sleeping With 17-Year-Old’

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy plainly explained why he was ousted from House Leadership during an hour-long chat with Georgetown University Students on Monday. And it’s not good news for his rival, Rep. Matt Gaetz.

In early October of 2023, McCarthy was ejected as House Speaker after Gaetz followed through on his longstanding threat to file a motion to vacate the chair. Gaetz was joined by a small number of disgruntled Republicans and the entirety of the Democratic caucus — which resolved not to save McCarthy Tuesday morning — in voting to remove McCarthy Tuesday afternoon. Republican House leadership has been effectively thrown into chaos ever since.

McCarthy was forthcoming about what he saw as the real reason why he was pushed out, telling host Mo Ellethee that it was all Gaetz’s fault.

“Let me give you the truth about that. And I’ll give you the truth why I’m not speaker: because one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old girl,” he said.“Did he do it or not? I don’t know.”

In February this year, ABC reported that the House Ethics Committee had obtained text messages the congressman allegedly sent to a young woman his former friend Joel Greenberg had paid for sex to invite her on a trip to the Florida Keys.

Sarah Rumpf reported at the time:

Gaetz has vociferously denied all allegations that he had sex with anyone underage or committed any other crimes connected to Greenberg, but the two were close friends before his arrest, with the congressman referring to Greenberg as his “wingman,” and Greenberg allegedly wrote a confession letter to none other than Roger Stone (seeking Stone’s help obtaining a pardon from then-President Donald Trump) claiming he and Gaetz did in fact pay an underage woman for sex. Just last month, Gaetz reportedly told his congressional colleagues he ousted Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from the Speakership because McCarthy wouldn’t kill off the House Ethics investigation into this scandal.

Watch above via CSPAN.