Last Wednesday, three days before a widely feared government shutdown, far-right Rep. Matt Gaetz stood on the steps of the U.S. Capitol and issued a categorical threat.
If House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., relied on Democrats to keep the government open, said Gaetz, R-Fla., there would “very likely” be “a motion to vacate that the speaker would face.”
“It’s so obvious I can’t believe I have to say it out loud,” Gaetz told NBC News at the time.
