Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz appeared to hint that Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio would be a strong choice as a possible replacement for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy following the release of audio where McCarthy said he was considering advising then-President Donald Trump to resign in the wake of the events of Jan. 6, 2021.
Gaetz has been highly critical of McCarthy since the audio was released.
"You have a circumstance where you either have to believe Kevin's statements or your own lying ears," the congressman said. "There are a few problems."
Related: McCarthy-Cheney on tape? We report, you decide, April 22, 2022
"The conference never believed that Donald Trump should resign, so to have a leader so far outside of the conference is itself a problem," Gaetz said.
Gaetz said McCarthy's position might not be impacted by the leaked audio because of the California Republican's ability to raise funds.
"The covenant between leadership and Republicans in conference isn't a covenant based on truth or honesty," Gaetz said. "The covenant is based on fundraising and Kevin McCarthy is the most elite fundraiser in the history of the Republican conference."
Gaetz went on to say that McCarthy "really gains his strength not by maintaining some great credibility of truth with people but by ensuring he will always be there with the checks."
In the audio from Jan. 10, 2021, McCarthy told RINO Rep. Liz Cheney and others on the call that he was thinking about advising Trump to resign following the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Gaetz has blamed Cheney for leaking the recording to reporters Alex Burns and Jonathan Martin of The New York Times.
"While I was rallying in Wyoming against Liz Cheney ... Kevin McCarthy was defending Liz Cheney among House Republicans...While Liz Cheney was secretly recording Kevin McCarthy for the New York Times," Gaetz tweeted on Friday, adding, "@GOPLeader—you should have trusted my instincts, not your own."
A spokesperson for Cheney denied she had provided the reporters with the audio.
In a reply to a Twitter user who had urged him and Jordan to take over the House GOP leadership from McCarthy, Gaetz wrote: ""@jim_Jordan is the hardest working and most talented member of the Republican House Conference. And every member knows it."
About . . . . Intelligence . . . . Membership
