Kevin McCarthy says nemesis Matt Gaetz’s conduct could be WORSE than George Santos amid ongoing Ethics probe – and says he only ‘brushed shoulders’ with Tim Burchett but didn’t punch him

Two months after Matt Gaetz launched the historic ouster of Kevin McCarthy, the former speaker warns he could soon face political troubles of his own.

McCarthy has long said Gaetz initiated a motion to be vacated from the process that cost him his job because of a vendetta against him for not dropping an ethics investigation into alleged sexual harassment and misuse of funds.

Little has been revealed about the ethics investigation, which began, then ended, and then resumed again due to a separate Justice Department investigation into Gaetz.

McCarthy declined to say whether Gaetz himself would be fired after the Ethics Committee issues a report of its findings. “I can’t be a part of this,” he said. “What I know is, from what people have said and written about it, it seems like he’s even worse than Santos.”

Two months after Matt Gaetz launched the historic ouster of Kevin McCarthy, the former speaker warns he could soon face political troubles of his own.

Long Island liar George Santos, D-N.Y., escaped one expulsion vote unscathed when 31 Democrats and a majority of Republicans voted against his expulsion, with many saying they wanted to wait to see the bipartisan committee’s report on ethics.

The report, released this month, said Santos used money and campaign contributions to finance a lavish lifestyle, engaged in fraud, filed false election reports and “willfully” violated ethics.

As soon as this report was published, another attempt to remove Santos began, and even the notorious fabulist himself admitted that he would likely not be able to hold on to his post.

A vote on the privileged resolution to expel him is expected on Thursday.

GOP leadership is playing it safe one way or the other, calling it a “vote of conscience,” although Speaker Mike Johnson said he has “real reservations” about removing Santos.

“Personally, I have serious doubts about this,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “I’m concerned about the precedent that might be set for this.”

“There are people who say you should uphold the rule of law and allow someone to be convicted in a criminal court before this, this severe punishment.”

Losing Santos would give the Republicans a three-vote majority.

Meanwhile, McCarthy issued a veiled warning to Speaker Mike Johnson not to make any deals with Gatz to avoid a dismissal proposal.

“A lot of what this exemption proposal is based on is what Gaetz doesn’t want to see happen. I hope no one makes any deals to try to stop this. I just don’t think it’s good for the government.”

Since the spring of 2021, Gaetz has been under scrutiny by the Ethics Committee over allegations of sexual harassment and illegal drug use, dissemination of inappropriate images and videos in the House of Representatives and use of campaign funds for personal gain, among other things.

The investigation was suspended while the Department of Justice (DOJ) conducted a separate investigation into Gaetz on charges of sex trafficking and sex with minors.

In February, the Justice Department decided it did not have enough strong evidence in the Gatz case and closed the investigation, and the Ethics Committee resumed its work.

“Goetz assumed he could influence me to stop this,” McCarthy said. “It is illegal”.

McCarthy has long said Gaetz initiated a motion to be vacated from the process that cost him his job due to a vendetta against him for not dropping an ethics investigation into alleged sexual harassment and misuse of funds.

McCarthy also said he never pushed Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tennessee. Their shoulders “may have touched,” he said.

Federal prosecutors were investigating allegations that Gaetz paid women for sex and traveled abroad – and on at least one occasion attended parties attended by teenagers under 18.

Investigators believe Gaetz and disgraced Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg instructed women they met online to “meet at certain times and places, often in Florida hotels, and tell them the amount of money they were willing to pay.”

The Justice Department was looking into whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid for her to travel with him.

Gaetz, who has been married to Ginger Luckey since 2021, says the allegations are a gross mischaracterization of his single days. And the investigation ended without any charges being brought against him.

“In my single days, I definitely provided for the women I dated,” Gaetz told Axios. “You know, I paid for plane tickets, for hotel rooms. You know, I was generous as a partner.

“I am the most investigated person in the United States Congress,” Gaetz said last month during the investigation. “It appears that the Ethics Committee’s interest in me waxes and wanes depending on my relationship with the speaker.”

In a wide-ranging conversation with DailyMail.com, McCarthy also said he never pushed Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tennessee. Their shoulders “may have touched,” he said.

“It’s a narrow hallway,” McCarthy added. “I’m sure people brush my shoulder as they pass by too. I just don’t make statements that aren’t true.”

Burchett, who claimed he and McCarthy were once “friends” before he voted to remove him as speaker, recounted the meeting in a very different way.

“It was a clean shot to the kidney,” Burchett told reporters, adding that he was still in pain the next day.

Burchett was one of eight Republicans who voted to remove McCarthy, plunging the House into three weeks of silent chaos.

Burchett said he and McCarthy used to be “friends,” but that ended when Burchett said McCarthy mocked his faith when he told the then-Speaker he needed to pray about whether he would vote to remove him or not.