Matt Gaetz threatens Kevin McCarthy with a 'straitjacket' and then votes for Donald Trump for House speaker

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), the ringleader behind the “Never Kevin” McCarthy movement that has shut down half the legislative branch for days, is vowing he will continue his attack on the GOP House Majority Leader and derail his attempt to become Speaker.

Right now the House is in the middle of its eighth vote for Speaker of the House, which some of the major networks are no longer airing in full. U.S. Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) this time nominated McCarthy, as U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) reminded Republicans that for every previous vote Democrats were united one-hundred percent behind Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) for Speaker. In every one of the previous seven votes all 212 Democrats voted unanimously for the New York Democrat.

Rep. Clark nominated Democratic Minority Leader for Speaker of the House once again.

Meanwhile, CBS News’ chief election and campaign correspondent Robert Costa reports U.S. Rep. Gaetz “tells reporters just now that this all ends either with McCarthy deciding to ‘withdraw from the race’ or agrees to a ‘straitjacket’ agreement that fully constrains him as speaker.”

Punchbowl News co-founder Jake Sherman adds that House Republicans “may have a closed party meeting this afternoon to discuss the rules negotiations.”

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Presumably that would take place after the eighth or ninth vote.

“GOP leadership would like to adjourn for some period of time,” Sherman adds, “but the rank and file wants an update on the status of the rules talks.”

Pointing to still more fracturing among the GOP caucus, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), one of the 20 opposing McCarthy, did not vote for their alternative candidate, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), but threw a new wrench into the works.

She voted for U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK).

This was apparently not entirely unexpected.

As for who Congressman Gaetz voted for?

“Donald John Trump.”

Twice.

That move comes just one day after Gaetz appeared to mock Trump publicly, defying the ex-president and declaring, “Supporting McCarthy is the worst Human Resources decision President Trump has ever made,” then adding, “Sad!”