Far-left Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) made am unexpected comment regarding Matt Gaetz and his efforts to remove Kevin McCarthy from House leadership during an interview on Sunday.
AOC was asked by CBS News’s Face the Nation anchor Margaret Brennan about the possibility of helping Matt Gaetz vote McCarthy out of leadership.
“We would have to cross that bridge when we get to it. Speaker McCarthy has been very weak,” the New York Democratic-Socialist replied.
“I think that he has also engaged in just absolutely terrible decision making for the American people from continuing to try to cement denying the right to an abortion among women, to the denial of to a policy that denies the reality of climate change, to basic fiscal irresponsibility and recklessness,” she said.
The congresswoman continued:
“We are at the brink of a shutdown right now.”
“And so absolutely, I think there is grounds,” she said.
“However, we are also in the midst of an extremely chaotic Republican Party, and we do not want chaos to reign in Washington either,” AOC added.
“I think that is a bridge that we’d cross if we get to it,” AOC said in regard to helping Matt Gaetz.
Maxine Waters has already said she won’t try to save McCarthy if it came to a vote.
Watch
There are "absolutely" grounds for an effort to oust Speaker McCarthy with a motion to vacate, as some Republicans like Rep. Matt Gaetz have threatened, Rep. @AOC says. When asked if she'd vote in line with Gaetz, she says: "We would have to cross that bridge when we get to it." pic.twitter.com/eQ9MP1HrOY
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) September 24, 2023
During McCarthy’s bid to become Speaker, Gaetz was key in forcing him into certain concessions.
Last week, Gaetz said McCarthy was “out of compliance” by pushing for a stopgap spending measure.
Gaetz promised to begin every day in Congress with “the prayer, the pledge, and the motion to vacate” if McCarthy did not back down.
“Mr. Speaker, dust off our written January agreement. You have a copy,” Gaetz said in a statement earlier this month.
“Begin to comply. No continuing resolutions, individual spending bills or bust votes on balanced budgets and term limits, subpoenas for Hunter Biden and the members of the Biden family who’ve been grifting off of this country, and the impeachment for Joe Biden that he so richly deserves,” Gaetz added.
“Do these things or face a motion to vacate the chair,” he continued.
On Monday, Gaetz asserted that the shutdown politics had favored the “special interests” trying to sway House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
“The Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill was passed out of the Appropriations Committee in June, and yet Kevin McCarthy hasn’t put it on the floor in more than 100 days,” Gaetz said.
“That is not serious,” he continued.
“And you know why Kevin McCarthy didn’t move our border appropriations bill?” he asked.
“Because the lobbyists and the special interests who own Kevin McCarthy want to put us in this position, where we’re backed up against the wall, facing shutdown politics,” Gatez said.
“And what that does is it centralizes power to the people that they buy off with PAC donations and lobbyist donations,” he added.
“And then the membership doesn’t get to make real contributions to that process,” he said.
“I’m trying to democratize it.”
Last week, five Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the defense appropriations bill, which failed 212-216.
The five conservatives pushed for more spending cuts.
CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju posted:
“Gaetz just told his conference that seven Rs would vote against any CR to keep government open.”
READ: Matt Gaetz Reveals Bold Plan to Protect Trump from Jack Smith’s Political Witch Hunt
