Matt Gaetz says he misses Kevin McCarthy after House fails to impeach Mayorkas

WASHINGTON — Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said Tuesday he missed the former Speaker of the House he helped depose after Republican lawmakers failed to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by a thin margin.

"I also wonder, wouldn't it have been nice to still have Kevin McCarthy in the House of Representatives," Gaetz said on Newsmax. "Never thought you'd hear me say that."

The House voted on two articles of impeachment accusing Mayorkas of a “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” and a “breach of public trust.” GOP lawmakers allege that Mayorkas has intentionally allowed the crisis at the border to continue.

But three Republicans - Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis. and Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif. - joined Democrats in voting no to impeach Mayorkas.

Former Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was driven out as House Speaker in October by a 216-210 vote. The effort to oust him was led by Gaetz and a handful of hardline conservatives joined him and the Democrats in voting against McCarthy. At the end of last year, McCarthy resigned from Congress.

"Kevin McCarthy, after being dislodged as speaker, took his marbles and went home," Gaetz said. "He would have been a reliable vote for impeachment but if he wasn't speaker, he wasn't willing to stick around.”

Gaetz also said he missed former Rep. George Santos, N.Y., after Tuesday’s vote. Santos was expelled from Congress last year after a scathing House Ethics Comittee report found that he misused his campaign funds for his personal benefit.

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“I think that the arrant expulsion of Santos, and the abject selfishness of Kevin McCarthy, contributed to this result as much as the three Republican members who voted no,” Gaetz said.

Contributing: Ken Tran

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Matt Gaetz: 'Wouldn't it have been nice to still have Kevin McCarthy'