Matt Gaetz told not to "be an a**hole" after taunting Kevin McCarthy at RNC
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Florida Representative Matt Gaetz decided to reignite his feud with Kevin McCarthy by attempting to taunt the former House Speaker during the Republican National Convention.
![Congressman Matt Gaetz (r.) was confronted after he tried to taunt former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy at the second day of the Republican National Convention.](https://media.tag24.de/951x634/d/b/db85cnmvzhj1gmhudfq0qf1y2sr1tfu0.jpg)
On Tuesday – the second day of the four-day event – McCarthy stopped to do an interview with CNN host Kaitlin Collins, where the two discussed unity within the Republican Party.
In a clip shared on social media, Gaetz, who happened to be walking by, is seen stopping to interrupt their conversation, firing off a few taunts at his political nemesis.
"What night are you speaking? Are you speaking tonight, or?" Gaetz said, mocking McCarthy for not being added to the event's list of guest speakers.
McCarthy, completely unfazed by the trolling, continued speaking to Collins, noting that Gaetz has "an ethics complaint about paying – sleeping with a 17-year-old."
Gaetz attempted to interject again, stating, "Hey, if you took that stage, you would get booed off of it. You would get booed off the stage."
The trolling prompted an unidentified man to step in, telling the congressman, "Shut up, Gaetz. Don't be an a**hole."
A tense moment ensued, with a clearly shaken Gaetz responding, "Dude, I don't even know who you are," before scurrying off back into the crowd.
Matt Gaetz and Kevin McCarthy reignite ongoing feud
![Representative Matt Gaetz (center l.) and then-Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (r.) speaking on the House floor of the US Capitol building on January 07, 2023.](https://media.tag24.de/951x634/d/6/d6laxu0iv7nl5xq1eo1hwmnsq9dvp9f4.jpg)
In March 2021, the Department of Justice launched an investigation into Gaetz over allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor. In February of this year, the department concluded the investigation and decided not to charge Gaetz.
The House Ethics Committee, which paused its investigation as the DOJ conducted its own, reopened the investigation in July 2023.
Gaetz blamed then-speaker McCarthy for reopening the case, though McCarthy claimed he did not have control over the committee.
In October 2023, Gaetz led a group of eight Republicans – angry over details of a recently agreed upon budget deal – to vote McCarthy out of his position.
McCarthy has long maintained that he believes Gaetz did so because he refused to intervene in the committee's probe.
After the trolling incident, McCarthy reiterated his claim in an interview with NBC News, noting that the investigation into Gaetz has ramped up in recent months.
When asked if he believed the party to be on his or Gaetz's side, he responded, "Well, I would hope there wouldn't be another Matt Gaetz in the Republican Party."
"Look, everybody has different people in their party. Unfortunately, Matt happens to be here," McCarthy added. "I think, at the end of the day, he probably shouldn't be on the streets."
Cover photo: Collage: Patrick T. Fallon & CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA / AFP