Gingrich: 'Expelling' Gaetz from House GOP conference, stripping committee assignments 'rational'

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich suggested that Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) should be expelled from the chamber's  Republican conference and stripped of his committee assignments over his effort to oust GOP Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

"The effort to expel Matt Gaetz for being a destructive, irresponsible anti-Republican may be a step too far. Expulsion from the House requires a two thirds vote," Gingrich wrote Sunday on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"However expelling him from the House Republican Conference and eliminating all his committee assignments and all resources other than those an individual member is entitled to would be a rational response to his suicidal efforts to cripple the House GOP."

Gingrich also questioned Gaetz's status as a Republican lawmaker.

"Is Gaetz secretly an agent for the Democratic Party? No one else is doing as much to undermine, weaken and cripple the House GOP," he wrote.

Gaetz has said he plans to introduce a motion to vacate this week in the hopes of generating enough votes to remove McCarthy. The motion would need at least 218 votes to pass. 

Gaetz, arguably the most outspoken McCarthy critic in the conference, is upset because Democrats voted this weekend in favor of his spending measure to keep the federal government fully operational before the deadline, hence avoiding a shutdown. 

He would likely need some House Democrats to vote to oust McCarthy because most House Republicans back McCarthy.