Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy appeared to take a shot at Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) when he declared that the reason he is not in Congress is because someone wanted him to stop an ethics complaint alleging that the individual had slept with a minor.

McCarthy made the comment after Mo Elleithee of Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service suggested he made a lot of concessions in negotiations, which would eventually lead to the end of his speakership.

“That is such a misnomer in life. Let me give you the truth about that, and I’ll give you the truth why I’m not speaker,” McCarthy responded.

“It is because one person, a member of Congress, wanted me to stop an ethics complaint because he slept with a 17-year-old, an ethics complaint that started before I ever became speaker, and that’s illegal, and I’m not gonna get in the middle.”

“Did he do it or not? I don’t know, but Ethics is looking at it. There’s other people in jail because of it, and he wanted me to influence it.”

Shortly after McCarthy’s comments went viral, Gaetz fired back on X with his own explanation of why McCarthy lost the speakership.

“Kevin McCarthy is a liar,” the Florida congressman posted. “That’s why he is no longer speaker. Just ask the 224 people who voted to remove him.”

After he refused to influence the ethics complaint, those opposing him alleged that he needed to leave because he kept the government open, according to McCarthy.

“I’d do it all over again. We’re not gonna pay our troops? No, I’m gonna pay my troops,” he said. “When it comes to the concession, the motion to vacate about one person being able to make that motion, how long has that been in the rules … forever.”

“The only time it was changed is when Pelosi became speaker the second time, and she put the power with the minority leader.”

When you elect people, they should be allowed to govern, according to McCarthy, who added that it requires 218 to pass the rules package, and he was stuck with five people who never supported him from the beginning.

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“I think, today, if you went back to the people that voted, do they think that was a smart vote, I don’t think so,” he said. “I had the choice of having that vote of motion to vacate where you just put the cards in and walk away.”

“No, I made everybody stand up because I think, historically, it’ll be viewed as a very bad thing to happen to our Congress.”