Matt Gaetz’s House colleagues 'hate' him — but he's still adored by Trump: report

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) infuriated allies of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-California) when he triggered a "motion" to vacate that led to McCarthy being ousted as House speaker. Those allies only grew angrier with the far-right MAGA Republican when the House went three weeks without a speaker before finally confirming Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) as speaker.

During those three weeks, a major foreign policy crisis emerged: Hamas' Saturday, October 7 attack on Israel was followed by Israeli forces' anti-Hamas operation in Gaza, where thousands have died. And Gaetz was slammed by both Republicans and Democrats for promoting chaos in Congress at a time hell was breaking loose in the Middle East.

In an article published on November 27, the Daily Beast's Sam Brodey stresses that Gaetz is still facing considerable animosity in Congress — and is still on very good terms with former President Donald Trump.

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"In this unsettled moment on Capitol Hill," Brodey explains, "truth is relative, chaos reigns, and virtually nothing is for certain. Except one thing: No member walking the halls of Congress is more hated than Matt Gaetz. Over a month after he orchestrated the rebellion that ousted Kevin McCarthy from the speakership — and nearly three years after the FBI began investigating him for allegedly sex-trafficking a 17-year-old — the Republican congressman from Florida has become so much more among his colleagues than merely persona non grata."

Brodey adds, "To many, Gaetz — in one cunning, crass, and crocodile-booted package — is a walking embodiment of everything that is wrong in the GOP today and in American politics more broadly."

Some House Republicans interviewed by the Beast weren't shy about criticizing him.

Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-South Dakota) told the Beast, "There aren't a lot of people who, you know, are gonna go out of their way to defend Matt Gaetz. I mean, he's a pretty diabolical character."

READ MORE: Why everyone hates Matt Gaetz

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska) told the Beast, "The anger is pretty well with him. I just think there will be long memories because he did serious damage to our House conference."

Regardless, Brodey writes that "there's never been a better time to be Matt Gaetz."

"It's a paradox that makes perfect sense in today's GOP: The more Gaetz's own colleagues hate him, the more beloved he is not just by the party base but its leader, Donald Trump," Brodey explains. "It's why Gaetz will happily accept sitting at the outcasts' table inside Congress in exchange for being greeted like a folk hero outside of it — with all the campaign cash, right-wing influence, and media oxygen it entails."

READ MORE: GOP leaders 'embarrassed' by speaker debacle: 'We can’t govern'

Readthe Daily Beast's full report at this link (subscription required).