Pelosi Mocks Gaetz After Threats Against McCarthy

(DailyVantage.com) – This weekend, Nancy Pelosi proved that she is not a prognosticator.

While appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Pelosi dismissed Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz’s threat to vacate the chair to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Pelosi told host Jake Tapper, who had just interviewed Gaetz before her, that he was wasting his time “on that guy.”

The former speaker explained that Gaetz “has no sway in the House of Representatives” and suggested that he is using his motion to vacate to “get on TV” and “raise money on the Internet.”

And while Pelosi was right about Gaetz’s motives, she was wrong when she said he had no sway.

As it turned out, Matt Gaetz had plenty of sway in the House, not with Republicans but with Nancy Pelosi’s fellow Democrats.

While Pelosi was in California for Senator Dianne Feinstein’s memorial service, the House voted on Tuesday to remove Speaker McCarthy as every Democrat in the chamber, along with only 7 other Republicans, joined Gaetz in supporting his motion.

The final tally was 216 to 210.

North Carolina Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry, a close ally of Kevin McCarthy’s, was then appointed as speaker pro tempore.

Under the rules Congress passed in January, in the event of a vacancy, the position of speaker pro tempore will go to the next member named on a list McCarthy submitted in January to the clerk of the House. That name was Patrick McHenry.

While Matt Gaetz took a victory lap for handing the Democratic caucus exactly what they wanted, the vast majority of Republicans were furious with the move, according to the Associated Press.

House Foreign Relations Chair Michael McCaul (R-TX) blasted the vote, calling it “shocking.” He suggested that Gaetz’s maneuver sends a troubling message to America’s adversaries.

The seven Republicans who joined with Gaetz and the Democrats were Reps. Andy Biggs and Eli Crane of Arizona, Ken Buck of Colorado, Matt Rosendale of Montana, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, and Bob Good of Virginia.