Republican’s Stunning Condemnation of GOP Colleagues: ‘Scumbags’

Representative Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican, shared a stunning condemnation of some his GOP colleagues on Sunday, describing them as “real scumbags.”

Tensions are high among House Republicans, with a few GOP lawmakers threatening they could try to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, after he passed a series of major bipartisan bills. The far-right faction of the GOP has been frequently at odds with more moderate members since Republicans took control of the House in the 2022 midterms.

Some far-right lawmakers were exceptionally frustrated this past week as Johnson pushed through a series of foreign aid bills as part of a $95 billion package to support Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Many of those Republicans expressed particular opposition to the Ukraine aid.

During a panel discussion on CNN’s State of the Union, Gonzales, who voted for the foreign aid package, was asked by host Dana Bash about the opposition to Johnson’s leadership and whether he’ll be able to “survive.”

“He will survive,” Gonzales quickly responded who then went on to describe the House as a “rough and rowdy place,” and added that it is his “absolute honor to be in Congress” before attacking his colleagues.

“I serve with some real scumbags,” Gonzales said. He then took specific aim at Representative Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican, and Representative Bob Good, a Virginia Republican.

“Matt Gaetz, he paid minors to have sex with him at drug parties,” the Texas Republican said. “Bob Good endorsed my opponent, a known neo-Nazi. These people used to walk around in white hoods at night. Now they’re walking around with white hoods in the daytime.”

Newsweek reached out to Gaetz’ and Good’s press secretaries via email for comment.

Bash responded by saying, “wow, OK.” She then clarified that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) “decided not to prosecute” Gaetz after looking into the allegations Gonzales raised.

It was first reported in February 2023 that the DOJ officially decided not to pursue charges against Gaetz after he faced allegations of sex-trafficking. Gaetz always maintained his innocence and suggested the investigation was fueled by his political critics. The House Ethics Committee has opened a separate investigation into the allegations against Gaetz, which remains open.

Good endorsed Gonzales’ GOP primary opponent Brandon Herrera, a gun rights activist and social media influencer. Herrera and Gonzales will face off in a May 28 runoff after neither candidate secured 50 percent in the March primary. Jewish Insider reported earlier this month that Herrera posted videos that included “Nazi imagery, songs and jokes.”

Newsweek reached out to Herrera’s campaign via email for comment.

Later in the segment, Bash came back to Gonzales to follow up on his remarks. “I have heard you say a lot of things. What you just said, at the top of this discussion, was intense,” she said.

“Is it your sense that, I’m just asking from your own opinion and your own perspective, you’re trying to put them in a box—put them in a corner?” Bash asked.

“Members are tired, we’re exhausted,” Gonzales responded. “It has been a brutal Congress, but we’re also dug in. For some reason, these fringe people think as if they have the high ground. They do not.”

He said that the days of “easygoing” lawmakers are over. “The fight is here,” Gonzales continued, saying the way to take care of a bully is to “bloody their nose.”

Other Republicans, meanwhile, have raised complaints about the atmosphere in Congress during the current session.

“It is the worst year of the nine years and three months that I’ve been in Congress. And having talked to former members, it’s the worst year in 40 or 50 years to be in Congress,” former GOP Representative Ken Buck of Colorado said in March as he announced that he’d be leaving Congress before the end of his term.