Just When You Thought Things Couldn't Get Weirder, Kevin McCarthy Prematurely Moved Into The Office Of The Speaker, And Matt Gaetz Led The Effort To Kick The "Squatter" Out

I really didn’t think this whole House Speaker debacle could possibly get any weirder than it already has. But nevertheless… Here we are.

It’s no secret to anyone at this point that the GOP’s Kevin McCarthy REALLY wants to be Speaker of the House, taking Nancy Pelosi’s place after Republicans narrowly secured the House in the midterm election. I mean… Really, really wanted it.

But I’m not sure if anyone was prepared for McCarthy to just take it upon himself to literally move in to the Office of the Speaker without actually being voted in as Speaker — something Kevin has, of course, failed to do.

Yesterday, things got a bit hairy after Late night TV hosts like Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and Seth Meyers poked fun at video footage of McCarthy’s staffers who were seen “moving his boxes into the Speaker’s office.”

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Literally, the man just… Moved in.

‘Staffers were seen moving his boxes into the Speaker’s office… I wouldn’t be in a big hurry to unpack.’

Late night TV hosts like Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, & Seth Meyers had some fun Tuesday night roasting Kevin McCarthy’s futile attempts to become Speaker of the House. pic.twitter.com/vjfU3mqqWF

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) January 4, 2023

To make matters even more hilarious, this premature move sent FL Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz absolutely flying off the handle.

Gaetz took to his Twitter and suggested that McCarthy was unlawfully occupying the Office of the Speaker, and even went so far as to pen a positively fuming letter to Architect of the Capitol, J. Brett Blanton, questioning the legality of McCarthy’s unprecedented and premature move.

“What is the basis in law, House rule, or precedent to allow someone who has placed second in three successive speaker elections to occupy the Speaker of the House Office?” Gaetz fumed in the letter that he also posted to Twitter. “How long will he remain there before is considered a squatter?”

The FL House Rep. argued that McCarthy “can no longer be considered Speaker-Designate following today’s balloting.”

The Speaker of the House Office in the Capitol is currently being occupied by Kevin McCarthy.

Kevin McCarthy is not the Speaker of the House. He lost 3 consecutive votes today.

I’m demanding answers from the Architect of the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/AIZ8bFks6W

— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) January 4, 2023

While we’re unsure if it was Gaetz’s letter, specifically, that sealed the deal, new footage today now shows McCarthy’s staff removing his belongings from the Speaker’s office:

On an interesting reversal of yesterday’s events, Kevin McCarthy’s staff has been seen removing his belongings from the Speaker’s Office. pic.twitter.com/oGsKeJyFIn

— James Buchanan (@POTUS_15) January 4, 2023

Featured image via Flickr/Gage Skidmore, under Creative Commons license 2.0