Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales could barely contain his resentment toward an unruly far-right rebel faction of his own party – unloading on them in a vicious live television rant..
“I served 20 years in the military. It’s my absolute honor to be in Congress, but I serve with some real scumbags,” Gonzales railed on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.
Gonzales didn’t shy away from naming names and revived unproven allegations against Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), accusing him of having sex with underage women.
Gaetz has strenuously denied that allegation and the Justice Department conducted an investigation into related claims, before declining to press charges.
“Look, Matt Gaetz, he paid minors to have sex with him at drug parties,” Gonzales said.
A House Ethics Committee investigation into the alleged matter is reportedly still ongoing.
Gaetz later fired back at Gonzales, bashing him for “laundering lies on CNN” and urged voters to back his primary rival Brandon Herrera.
Gonzales then lashed out at Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), who chairs the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus. Good also endorsed Herrera.
“Bob Good endorsed my opponent, a known neo-Nazi,” Gonzales said. “These people used to walk around with white hoods at night, now they are walking around with white hoods in the daytime.”
This was an apparent reference to a 2022 video of Herrera shooting an MP-40 submachine gun, a weapon the Nazis used during the Holocaust.
“This is the death spiral ladies and gentlemen. He has to cry to his liberal friends about me, because Republicans won’t listen anymore,” Herrera shot back on X afterward.
The Post contacted Good for comment. Gonzales’ primary is slated for May 28.
Gonzales, like many other traditionalist Republicans, has grown confrontational with the hardliner Republican faction in the House of Representatives, some of whom are pushing to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
Good and Gaetz have not formally yet endorsed a motion to vacate the chair or oust him, though Gaetz led the effort to dethrone Johnson’s predecessor last October.
Thus far, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) have publicly backed a motion to vacate.
The clamoring for another mutiny came in response to Johnson wrangling through a spending bill, reauthorization of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Section 702, and most recently a Ukraine aid package.
“He will survive. Look, the House is a rough and rowdy place, but Mike Johnson is going to be just fine,” Gonzales said.
Multiple Democrats have dangled the possibility of tossing Johnson a lifeline should he face a full-fledged GOP revolt over his decision to take up a vote on Ukraine aide, which a majority of Republicans voted against.