McCarthy endorses Gaetz challenger, claims Gaetz is the 'Hunter Biden of the Republican Party'

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy endorsed Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz's challenger on Wednesday, claiming Gaetz was the "Hunter Biden of the Republican Party," marking the latest in their public feud.

The pair have been fighting since Gaetz led the call for McCarthy's removal as the leader of the House, which McCarthy has lambasted as a response to an ethics investigation into the Floridia lawmaker. Gaetz has denied the vendetta, claiming that the removal effort was not personal.

McCarthy said he was supporting former naval aviator Aaron Dimmock in the primary, which comes two weeks after Dimmock announced his candidacy against the GOP firebrand. Gaetz has slammed Dimmock as "Missouri-based" and claimed he supported the Black Lives Matter movement.

“Gaetz is the Hunter Biden of the Republican Party,” McCarthy told Politico. “He’s got an opponent who is pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, trained at Pensacola, went to the Naval Academy and flew jets to defend us while Gaetz was getting kicked out of high school, buying coke and paying minors for sex.” 

The comment was a reference to an ongoing ethics investigation into allegations that Gaetz trafficked minors across state lines, and engaged in illicit drug use. But a Justice Department investigation resulted in no charges over the sex-trafficking claims.

Dimmock is the sole challenger for the Republican nomination for Florida's first district, which Gaetz has represented since 2017. The seat is considered solidly red, and covers the western part of Florida's panhandle.

Gaetz responded to McCarthy's endorsement in a post to X, stating McCarthy and Dimmock should campaign together in Florida. Gaetz also told The Hill that he would not be taking "behavior advice" from McCarthy.

"Kevin McCarthy, who quit congress, has recruited Missouri-Based @aaronwdimmock to run against me," Gaetz said in the post. "Who thinks Kev and DEI Dimmock should campaign together in Northwest Florida? I sure do!"

The winner of the Republican primary on Aug. 20 will face sole Democratic candidate Gay Valimont in November, according to Florida campaign filings.