Why Did Haughty House Speaker Mock Congressman’s Faith Before Being Ousted?
Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) mocked the Christian faith of Congressman Tim Burchett (R-TN) and ridiculed the power of prayer on the same day a vote ousted him as Speaker of the House.
Haughty and disrespectful, McCarthy was gone hours later, becoming the first Speaker to ever be fired in U.S. history.
In the aftermath of this political firestorm in the federal government, Congressman Matt Gaetz’ wife, Ginger Luckey, who is a former worship leader, pointed to the Bible as a way to obtain hope, calm and wisdom, amid the greedy politics-drenched wrangling and gnashing of teeth of lobbyists, big donors and congressional power players in Washington D.C.
The drama inside the Beltway began when Gaetz filed a motion to vacate, starting a process where the House of Representatives must hold a majority vote on whether or not to remove McCarthy as Speaker of the House. Burchett went on CNN and said he was praying about which way to vote: either vote for McCarthy to maintain his friendship, or vote his conscience.
The next morning McCarthy called Burchett and mocked the Tennessee congressman for his desire to hear God about the vote. Burchett was shocked at McCarthy’s arrogant attitude and quick dismissal of a biblical approach to making a decision with God’s help.
With an air of disappointment, Burchett says about the conversation with McCarthy, “His opening salvo to me over the phone was very condescending. He said something that belittled me and my belief system. That’s what sealed it right there for me. That showed the character of the man.”
As a result, Burchett voted, along with Gaetz, six other Republicans and all the Democrats, to oust McCarthy as Speaker of the House in a historic outcome.
“Mocking God crosses the line for me,” Burchett told CNN. “I thought it showed his character.”
Burchett also had issues with McCarthy for fiscal irresponsibility, too many days off for the House in August and September, and lack of strong leadership to get important things done, such as spending cuts. He asserts that it’s absurd that the U.S. federal government takes in $5 trillion but then sets a budget for itself to spend $7 trillion.
“I sweat over these issues. As a country, we’re going off a cliff, financially,” he adds. “I worry about the single mom working two jobs in my district and how she can afford food for her family with the price of food so high [due to Bidenomics].”
Burchett described his decision to vote against McCarthy as “gut-wrenching.” He explains, “I prayed about it. God always tells me—but not in an audible voice—and it’s not automatic. I have to kind of gut through it, but then I figured out I needed to do what is best for the country.”
The next step is for the House of Representatives to vote for a new Speaker of the House. Speculation about who would be the next Speaker has run rampant this week. Congressmen Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan have entered their names into consideration, among others.
Gaetz went on Steve Bannon’s show “War Room” on the Real America’s Voice network and shared an anecdote about a comment his wife Ginger made about the uncertainty that now swirls within the House of Representatives.
“There’s some providence in this as well. My wife is a former worship leader, and when I got home and I was going ‘Can this person do it?’ or ‘Can that person do it?’, she says the Bible has all these stories of, in these moments of providence, leaders emerge,” says Gaetz.
“Sometimes, they come from places you don’t expect, and sometimes people become a version of themselves that they were not before, because the time calls for it. So, there is a part of this, I believe, defined by providence.”
Matt Gaetz is considered the most hated man in Washington D.C. right now. However, God is using him, whether he knows it or not, to expose the corruption of political leaders, who are controlled by lobbyists and special interest groups. Politicians in Washington D.C. are not representing the will of the people across America.
And, as the nation found out this week, leaders such as Kevin McCarthy, now former Speaker of the House, dismiss the will of God in the functioning of the U.S. government, which was founded on Judeo-Christian values and constitutional freedoms that are inalienable rights given by God, not by the government.
Gaetz is arguably doing more to change the way Washington D.C. is run than any of the status quo-loving politicians who are calling for Gaetz to be ejected from Congress. If he can withstand the intense resistance, he has a bright future in government—potentially an heir apparent to President Donald Trump. Steve Bannon calls Gaetz one of the greatest orators in Congress in U.S. history, comparing him to the famous Daniel Webster.
But if he’s praying about the future, like Burchett does, Gaetz may be praying about when to announce his campaign to run to become the next Governor of Florida. According to radio show host and political commentator Steve Gruber, Gaetz is considering a run for the governorship of the Sunshine State in 2026.
God evidently has his hand on Matt Gaetz. Now, the question is whether Gaetz will humble himself, also like Burchett, to wrangle in his heart to hear the Holy Spirit for himself. The future of America may depend on it someday.
Only God knows when Gaetz will become a version of himself that he was not before, because the time calls for it—a future Governor and/or a future President to emerge for such a time as this. {eoa}
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Anthony Hart is a freelance writer.
