House Republicans have stripped Kevin McCarthy of the speaker's gavel after a deal to keep the government open, following a demand from Rep. Matt Gaetz, a 2020 election denier and defender of the Jan. 6 insurrection. Gaetz is known for his conservative bent and his belief that the federal government is corrupt. At McCarthy's first press conference after the decision, he was free to speak his mind, and the implications of this move remain to be seen.
