Democratic Washington Rep. Adam Smith said Monday on CNN that Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz held Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy “hostage” but then praised Gaetz for his bipartisan work.
McCarthy became the 55th Speaker of the House on the 15th ballot in an early Saturday morning vote after a handful of Republicans, including Gaetz, spent several days blocking him. Gaetz voted “present” on the final ballot that handed McCarthy the gavel.
Smith chimed in during the process, tweeting that Republicans were holding Congress hostage. (RELATED: ‘This Isn’t About … A Spot On A Committee’: Chip Roy Says He Wasn’t Promised Anything After Vote Flip)
The Republican party and MAGA extremists are taking hostage of Congress and getting in the way of effective governance. Meanwhile, Democrats stand united behind @RepJeffries, ready to go to work for the American people.
— Rep. Adam Smith (@RepAdamSmith) January 5, 2023
Smith told CNN’s Jake Tapper that while the battle for Speaker was “worrisome,” he and Gaetz have a positive track record.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen, but Congressman Gaetz, who was one of the chief instigators of the showdown, he did make it clear he wants to chair a subcommittee on your committee, the Armed Services Committee,” Tapper said. “What was your reaction when you heard that?”
“To be optimistic, I’ve worked with Matt Gaetz before. Many times,” Smith said. “I think we can in fact work together. It was tense moment of differing opinions, but I think we can get there.”
“Now, the concern is, if they’re taking hostages — that’s what they essentially did, is they took Kevin McCarthy hostage last week …We do have to worry about whether or not that’s going to happen,” Smith continued. “But we have to try to work together as we have for, gosh, the last four years, and see where it goes. The speaker’s battle was worrisome. We got to put it behind us and work together going forward.”
Gaetz’ decision to continue opposing McCarthy even after most of his allies had abandoned the effort drew ire from his fellow Republicans, with Alabama Rep. Mike Rodgers confronting Gaetz on the floor when it became clear McCarthy would not secure the necessary number of votes in the 14th round of voting. Rodgers appeared to lunge at Gaetz before being restrained by North Carolina Rep. Richard Hudson.