Did Matt Gaetz Have Trump’s Blessing to Oust Kevin McCarthy?
As Kevin McCarthy’s speakership went down in historic flames Tuesday, a number of members were fixated on a seemingly small but bizarre flash point: a call between Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and former President Donald Trump.
The phone discussion was about Gaetz’s plan to oust McCarthy, and even though Trump aides have consistently claimed the former president supports the now-former speaker, Gaetz has suggested that Trump actually supported his effort to remove McCarthy.
What isn’t contested is that Gaetz and Trump spoke about the matter recently, which the lawmaker confirmed on Monday. What is disputed is whether Trump was actually behind McCarthy.