Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is sharing what he insists is the “truth” about why he was ousted from his position late last year.
During an event on Wednesday, Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Public Service Executive Director Mo Elleithee asked McCarthy if the reason he was removed as speaker was because of the concessions he made during negotiations over a bill to keep the government funded.
“That is such a misnomer in life, let me give you the truth about that. And I’ll give you the truth about why I’m not speaker,” he responded.
The former speaker went on:
“It’s because one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old. An ethics complaint that started before I ever became speaker. And that’s illegal and I’m not going to get in the middle. Did he do it or not? I don’t know. But Ethics is looking at it. There’s other people in jail because of it.”
Watch the video below:
Former @SpeakerMcCarthy: "I'll give you the truth why I'm not speaker. It's because one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old … Did he do it or not? I don't know." pic.twitter.com/xD5uLdxcXQ
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 10, 2024
His comment appears to be a reference to investigation by the House Ethics Committee into Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) involving allegations of sex crimes.
Politico notes, “Its probe comes after the Justice Department last year closed its investigation into the Florida representative without filing charges. The DOJ was examining whether Gaetz paid women for sex and traveled overseas to parties attended by underage teens.”
ABC News reported in February the panel uncovered texts that allegedly showed Gaetz planning a 2017 trip with a woman one of his associates paid for sex. .
Gaetz has denied wrongdoing.
McCarthy stated he would do it “all over again” when it comes to making a deal to keep the government open if that was the reason he was ousted.
“We’re not going to pay our troops? No, I’m going to pay my troops,” he said.
Gaetz filed the motion to vacate in October and pointed to McCarthy’s decision to rely on Democratic votes to keep the government open.
