00:00 With the clock ticking down toward a government shutdown, Republican Representative Matt Gaetz
00:06 approached a Democratic lawmaker on the House floor this week with a surprising pitch.
00:12 Gaetz, who has been threatening Speaker Kevin McCarthy's speakership almost daily, explained
00:17 that his rebellion is motivated by a desire to find new leadership that keeps their word,
00:22 tells the truth, and adheres to regular order, a message that this Democrat described to
00:29 as "utterly reasonable."
00:32 Gaetz then floated veteran Republican Representative Tom Cole of Oklahoma and House GOP Whip Tom
00:38 Emmer of Minnesota as two alternative examples he had in mind, and then attempted to gauge
00:43 whether this member would be open to supporting an effort to oust McCarthy.
00:48 The Democrat told to us there's been internal discussions about a wide range of potential
00:53 asks from power-sharing agreements to policy ideas.
00:58 In the last 48 hours, he's not just talking to Democrats.
01:01 "I'm talking about like, the furthest left most progressive Democrats to moderates,"
01:07 the House Democrat told to us.
01:08 "He's a salesman right now."
01:12 Asked about working with Democrats on his McCarthy ouster effort, Gaetz said, "The
01:16 subject has come up, but it's not my focus."
01:19 He also emphasized has not tried to offer any concessions to Democrats in exchange for
01:24 their help.
01:25 "I have made no offer to Democrats and I would not," he said.
01:28 But McCarthy's critics aren't the only ones privately courting House Democrats to
01:34 play for their team in the ongoing Speaker drama.
01:37 GOP moderates and pragmatic members have also been working Democrats on a plan to get them
01:42 out of a likely government shutdown and build a consensus to save McCarthy if he faces a
01:47 so-called motion to vacate the Speaker's chair.
01:51 An effort that has taken on more urgency since a House GOP stopgap bill failed on the floor
01:56 Friday at the hands of conservative hardliners.
01:59 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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