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Rep. Matt Gaetz Confronts Speaker McCarthy in Fiery House GOP Meeting

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In a closed-door House GOP conference meeting on Thursday morning, tensions flared as Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) confronted Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), accusing him and his allies of orchestrating an online campaign against him with the help of “MAGA influencers.”

According to reports from Fox News, the exchange was marked by what was described as “fireworks.” Gaetz directly addressed McCarthy, alleging that “MAGA influencers” had been paid to attack him on social media. McCarthy promptly denied the accusation, dismissing Gaetz’s claims.

Speaker McCarthy dismissed Gaetz’s allegations, indicating that he had no intention of engaging in such activities. In the same meeting, another source revealed that McCarthy questioned Gaetz’s commitment to the GOP’s goals, pointing out that he was personally dedicating his efforts to allocate $5 million to support GOP candidates and members with the aim of strengthening their majority in the near future. McCarthy’s remark seemed to challenge Gaetz regarding his contributions toward achieving a stronger Republican majority.

In response to Gaetz’s allegations, some members of the GOP caucus expressed frustration. According to a second source, one lawmaker told Gaetz to “f— off,” while another referred to him as a “scumbag,” according to reports.

Gaetz confirmed the confrontation to reporters as he exited the meeting, explaining, “I asked him whether or not he was paying those influencers to post negative things about me online.” He also confirmed McCarthy’s response, saying, “Yeah, that is what he said.”

When asked about his feelings toward McCarthy during and after the exchange, Gaetz remarked, “My blood pressure is like 120 over 80. So I’m feeling great.”

A spokesperson for Speaker McCarthy categorically denied any involvement in the alleged online campaign, attributing it to a Democrat-backed entity. In support of this claim, Fox News Digital reportedly obtained a screenshot of a cease-and-desist email sent by McCarthy’s outside lawyer to the individuals allegedly behind the campaign.

Furthermore, the email asserted that the campaign falsely claimed to act on behalf of Speaker McCarthy and his affiliated entities and warned of legal consequences if the actions continued.

The exchange in the House GOP meeting underscores the ongoing tension between Gaetz and McCarthy. Gaetz has been threatening to force a House-wide vote on McCarthy’s speakership, alleging violations of a deal struck to secure McCarthy’s election as Speaker in January.

Under the terms of that compromise, McCarthy agreed to allow any lawmaker to trigger a vote on his removal, known as a “motion to vacate.” While Gaetz had hinted at pursuing such a motion earlier in the week, he sidestepped questions on the matter during the recent meeting with reporters.

In the midst of this contentious atmosphere, Gaetz emphasized his current focus on advancing single-subject spending bills, deflecting inquiries regarding the motion to vacate and maintaining his dedication to legislative efforts.

The confrontation between Gaetz and McCarthy underscores the complex dynamics within the Republican caucus as it navigates internal divisions and confronts ongoing challenges on Capitol Hill.

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Organization Launches Campaign to Spin Immigration Narrative by Suppressing Free Speech

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Billionaire Lauren Powell Jobs is fighting “immigration misinformation” through her new group Catalyze/Citizens by seeking to suppress mainstream public criticism of Extraction Migration policies. According to Breitbart, Jobs is demanding changes be made to Internet law to allow her to do so, which would require an anti-free speech law from Congress or a major Supreme Court decision.

In a statement released on December 3, Catalyze/Citizens said that Section 230 of the [Internet-related] Communications Decency Act would need to be reformed to allow the group to “counter far-right disinformation campaigns” and “build safer online spaces and AI technology.”

“Through these efforts, C/C aims to champion and elect pro-immigrant leaders, mobilize uncommon allies, and drive narrative interventions that protect immigrant communities and strengthen democratic values,” the statement added.

According to Breitbart:

“The group’s blame-the-narrative campaign echoes the view of many pro-migration groups that Donald Trump won the election by manipulating the voters via distorted media reports. That claim sidelines the evidence that voters recognize the vast economic and civic damage caused by the elite-driven desire for the extraction of many more foreign blue-collar and white-collar workers, renters, and consumers from poor countries.”

Andrea Flores, the chief lobbyist at Mark Zuckberg’s FWD.us pro-migration group, suggested that President Joe Biden take the blame for not spreading a “pro-migration narrative” enough, which allowed the campaign of now President-elect Donald Trump to succeed with their reports on the border crisis and the snowball effect it had on multiple aspects of American life including on businesses, housing, crime and security overall.

Catalyze/Citizens is an extension of Jobs’ Immigration Hub group and is to be headed by Beatriz Lopez who backed the mission to “tackle the source of disinformation by championing policies and solutions that ensure social media responsibility and online and AI safety.”

Each proponent cited discussing the mission of Catalyze/Citizens appears to consistently reference the need to address “dangerous online disinformation.” It is noteworthy that social media companies have come under scrutiny for their information policing of users, which critics argue hamper First Amendment rights.

The group Catalyze/Citizens also pointed out that Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign failed to focus on immigration policies and frame them in a favorable light. A report released by the group shows that Trump, on the other hand, focused largely on immigration spending millions to “frame immigration as a national threat.”

According to Breitbart, the Extraction Migration policy championed by Jobs and criticized by Trump can be explained as follows:

“The migration policy extracts vast amounts of human resources from needy countries. The additional workers, white-collar graduates, consumers, and renters push up stock values by shrinking Americans’ wages, subsidizing low-productivity companies, boosting rents, and spiking real estate prices.”

Breitbart adds, “The little-recognized economic policy has loosened the economic and civic feedback signals that animate a stable economy and democracy. It has pushed many native-born Americans out of careers in a wide variety of business sectors, reduced Americans’ productivity and political clout, slowed high-tech innovation, shrunk trade, crippled civic solidarity, and incentivized government officials and progressives to ignore the rising death rate of discarded, low-status Americans.”

President-elect Donald Trump recognized the implications of this policy, and has worked hard to warn Americans against it. In an effort to defend the policy however, supporters of it are calling Trump’s efforts “narrative trickery,” which led to the development of Catalyze/Citizens. If able, progressives see that the solution is in shifting the narrative by targeting speech critical of the policy.

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