He had nothing to lose but his dignity. Congressman Kevin McCarthy knew that the job he had always craved was within his grasp. All he needed was the vote of a 40-year-old Florida man under investigation over sex-trafficking allegations.
McCarthy walked over and begged Matt Gaetz to make him speaker of the US House of Representatives. Gaetz stared, pointed a finger and refused. Fellow Republican Mike Rogers stormed towards Gaetz and had to be forcibly restrained.
That this tragicomedy played out on the second anniversary of the deadly attack on the US Capitol was almost too on the nose. That it was Gaetz, an ardent supporter of Donald Trump and smash-mouth media performer, who held McCarthy’s fate in his hands said everything about the Republican party in 2023.
Midnight tolled and, within an hour, McCarthy had achieved his dream of becoming speaker, securing a majority of votes from those present at the 15th attempt in the longest such
