Matt Gaetz says he finally flipped his vote to “present” on the House speaker vote after Kevin McCarthy caved to every one of his demands.

“I ran out of things I could even imagine asking for,” the Florida Congressman told CNN reporter Melanie Zanona in the early hours of Saturday morning after a rowdy post-midnight vote finally saw Mr McCarthy elected to House speaker.


Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz led a historic, if not awkward, revolt against leadership during Tuesday afternoon's vote for U.S. House speaker.

The effort succeeded in stopping prospective favorite Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, from winning the Speaker's post. Late Tuesday, the House adjourned until Wednesday at noon amid the deadlock.

The Pensacola firebrand didn't just vote against McCarthy, who has led the GOP caucus since 2019. Gaetz also openly defied McCarthy in rising to nominate an alternative candidate at the start of the second round of balloting. Saying McCarthy has "sold" himself to win the coveted, powerful post, Gaetz endorsed Jim Jordan, a congressman from Ohio.

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