Ex-Speaker McCarthy comes out swinging at Matt Gaetz

Kevin McCarthy, the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives is blaming the current chaos in Congress on U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL). 

McCarthy did so during an appearance Sunday on the Fox News Channel's MediaBuzz.

This interview comes as several members of the House are currently threatening to remove the current House Speaker, U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), from that position. And, this has resulted from the fact that Johnson has allowed the House to pass several, massive spending bills - including a foreign aid measure for Ukraine - that many Republicans disagree with.

Also relevant, here, is the fact that Gaetz was instrumental in getting McCarthy removed from the speakership position.

"The conference is broken"

McCarthy, during his Fox News appearance, expressed his belief that Gaetz is to blame for the current chaos among House Republicans.

"I think they're in disarray, but it stems from those eight [Republicans] working with all the Democrats. If there's no consequence. ... The Gaetz Eight. But they work with all the Democrats to decide who could be speaker; and since then, what has transpired?" McCarthy said.

The former speaker, here, is referring to the fact that Gaetz led the effort to have him removed and was joined in the effort by House Democrats.

McCarthy is saying that this has set a bad precedent, a precedent that has resulted in the current chaos.

McCarthy continued by saying that the Republican "conference is broken because they never dealt with those eight," adding, "until they do, it [will] stay broken."

It's "Lord of the Flies"

During his Fox News appearance, McCarthy next sought to highlight a key difference between Gaetz's effort to remove him from the speakership position and U.S. Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene's (R-GA) effort to remove Johnson.

The significant difference, according to McCarthy, is that "Marjorie . . . didn't make this privilege," meaning that her effort has not required a House vote. Rather, as McCarthy put it, she is making Johnson's removal "an issue for a debate."

McCarthy continued by expressing his opinion that Republicans ought to keep these intra-party disagreements private, rather than constantly airing their dirty laundry, as they are now doing.

The former speaker then concluded by returning to Gaetz, saying that the Florida congressman "has broken the Republican majority."

"What Matt Gaetz did has broken the Republican majority. He's now created Lord of the Flies. Ask anybody inside our conference; they actually know it," McCarthy said.