Texas Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez, barely able to contain his anger at his party’s unruly far-right insurgents, went on a vicious rant on live television.
“I served in the military for 20 years. It’s a great honor to be in Congress, but I work with some real bad people,” Gonzalez said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” vehemently criticized.
Mr. Gonzalez did not hesitate to name names, rehashing unproven allegations against Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and accusing him of having sex with an underage woman.
Gaetz has strongly denied the allegations, and the Justice Department investigated related allegations before rejecting the charges.
“Matt Gaetz, he paid minors to have sex at drug parties,” Gonzalez said.
The House Ethics Committee’s investigation into the allegations It is reported that this is still in progress.
Gaetz then fired back at Gonzalez, accusing him of “laundering lies on CNN” and appealing to voters to support his archrival, Brandon Herrera.
Mr. Gonzalez then lambasted Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), chairman of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus. Mr. Good also supported Mr. Herrera.
“Bob Good supported my opponent, a known neo-Nazi,” Gonzalez said. “These people used to walk around wearing white hoods at night, but now they walk around wearing white hoods during the day.”
This was an obvious reference. 2022 videos A photo of Herrera firing an MP-40 submachine gun, a weapon used by the Nazis during the Holocaust.
“This is a death spiral, folks. He has to shout about me to his liberal friends because the Republican Party won’t listen anymore,” Herrera said. shoot back with X after that.
The Post has reached out to Good for comment. Gonzalez’s primary election is scheduled for May 28.
Mr. Gonzalez, like many other traditional Republicans, is increasingly at odds with Republican hardliners in the House, some of whom are calling for the ouster of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana).
Mr Goode and Mr Gates have not yet formally supported the motion to vacate the chair or his removal, but Mr Gates led the effort to oust Mr Johnson’s predecessor in October last year.
So far, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) have publicly supported the withdrawal motion. are doing.
The calls for a new insurrection come in the wake of Johnson’s struggles over the spending bill, the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and, most recently, the Ukraine aid package.
“He’s going to survive. Look, the House of Representatives is a rough and rowdy place, but Mike Johnson will be fine,” Gonzalez said.
Several Democrats have offered Johnson a lifeline if he faces a full-blown Republican revolt over his decision to vote on aides to Ukraine, which a majority of Republicans voted against. It dangles the possibility of throwing.
