• Newt Gingrich, a Republican from Georgia, was speaker of the House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999
  • After Kevin McCarthy was ousted as speaker on Tuesday – becoming the first speaker in history to be pushed out – Gingrich wrote a Washington Post op ed
  • Gingrich said that Matt Gaetz, who orchestrated McCarthy’s downfall, should be expelled from the party for turning on McCarthy and sullying their group 

Newt Gingrich has called for Matt Gaetz to be expelled from the Republican party for ousting Speaker Kevin McCarthy, describing Gaetz as egotistical, ‘incompetent’, childish, vain, and an embarrassment to their side.

Gingrich, 80, was speaker of the House from 1995 until he retired from office in 1999.

A staunch defender of Donald Trump, Gingrich said on Tuesday he felt Gaetz, another MAGA Republican, had done the party a disservice.

Gaetz on Monday introduced the motion to remove McCarthy, which was passed on Tuesday afternoon. McCarthy, who was elected in January after a highly contentious vote, became the first speaker in history to be ousted.

‘Rep. Matt Gaetz is an anti-Republican who has become actively destructive to the conservative movement,’ wrote Gingrich, in an op ed for The Washington Post.

‘Drama has filled the halls of Congress for 234 years. Bringing together a group of 435 strong-willed personalities guarantees conflict, and it has always been a tumultuous body.

‘But some behavior crosses the line — and when it does, there has to be consequences.’

Gingrich described Gaetz as indulging in ‘childlike behavior’, and using his personal dislike of McCarthy as a weapon.

Gingrich dismissed the 41-year-old Floridian as vain and self-promoting, arguing he was disinterested in actually enacting policy.

‘If Gaetz were simply a loudmouthed junior member who attacked McCarthy every day, that would be fine, too,’ wrote Gingrich.

”He would just be isolated with a small group of lawmakers who can’t figure out how to get things done. They’d huddle together seeking warmth and reassurance from their fellow incompetents.

‘But Gaetz has gone beyond regular drama. He is destroying the House GOP’s ability to govern and draw a sharp contrast with the policy disasters of the Biden administration.’

Gingrich pointed out Gaetz’s constant presence on cable news, saying he was had no real power and instead was ‘violating the rules in the pursuit of personal attention and fundraising’.

‘Gaetz’s motion to remove McCarthy should have been swiftly defeated, but it wasn’t; he should still be expelled from the House Republican Conference,’ concluded Gingrich.

‘House Republicans have far more important things to do than entertain one member’s ego.’