Steve Bannon, the one-time political adviser to former President Donald Trump, issued a dire warning to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy about Representative Matt Gaetz, saying "over our dead bodies will you do anything" to him.
McCarthy, a California Republican, was successfully elected House speaker in January after 15 ballots and four-plus days of a congressional stalemate after six Republican holdouts, including Gaetz, voted "present." Gaetz, a Florida Republican, previously said he would "never" vote for McCarthy and backed other candidates for the position that included Trump.
"They want Matt Gaetz to shut up...they don't want Matt Gaetz on the NDAA [National Defense Authorization Act], they don't want Matt Gaetz going after [Christopher] Wray, they don't want Matt Gaetz leading the impeachment inquiry into [Merrick] Garland," Bannon said while speaking on his War Room podcast that was posted to Rumble on Saturday. It is unclear who the "they" Bannon was referring to are.
Bannon, who rose to national prominence as the chief executive officer of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, added: "I got news for McCarthy...over our dead bodies will you do anything to Matt Gaetz...Matt Gaetz is an American patriot and...an American hero."
Political analyst Craig Agranoff told Newsweek on Sunday that "the tension between McCarthy and Gaetz is not good for the party."
"It's creating a distraction at a time when Republicans should be focused on winning elections. I do not think McCarthy will listen to Steve Bannon's warning. Bannon is controversial figure, and McCarthy is unlikely to take his advice seriously. With all that said, this is a problem that McCarthy will need to solve himself," Agranoff said. "The Republican Party needs to present a united front if it wants to be successful in the upcoming elections. The tension between McCarthy and Gaetz is only making it more difficult for the party to do that."
Bannon has been a staunch supporter of Gaetz most notably amid McCarthy's bid to become House speaker. Bannon called Gaetz a "voice of reason" and "the one person in this entire Congress" to stand up to McCarthy. Bannon also slammed the California Republican for his "total surrender" to President Joe Biden on the country's debt limit deal. Gaetz too previously indicated he would not support the debt ceiling deal negotiated between McCarthy and Biden, calling it "horrible."
Meanwhile, the Florida congressman has previously been under federal investigation over allegations, which he strongly denies, that he was involved in recruiting women online for sex, including a 17-year-old girl who had her travel expenses paid. He was accused of then attempting to obstruct the course of justice. Gaetz was notified in February by the Department of Justice (DOJ) he will not face federal sex-trafficking charges, according to his lawyers.
The House Ethics Committee has reportedly reopened an investigation into the allegations against Gaetz that also include "illicit drug use and potential public corruption," according to CNN and ABC News on Thursday.
Gaetz told CNN on Thursday that the investigation is "not something I'm worried about, I'm focused on the work." McCarthy also told CNN that he doesn't "know anything about" the investigation, noting that he's barred by House rules from discussing it with committee members.
Newsweek has reached out to Gaetz's communications director via Twitter for comment.
