In a recent interview, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy expressed his belief that expelling George Santos from Congress was a mistake. McCarthy, who is set to retire from the chamber by the end of the year, stated that he would have preferred a different punishment for Santos. He argued that Santos should have been given the opportunity to have his day in court before facing expulsion. McCarthy suggested that a censure, similar to the one recently given to Rep. Jamaal Bowman, would have been a more appropriate response.

During his farewell media tour, McCarthy mentioned that he has received congratulatory calls and messages from world leaders and high-powered CEOs. However, one person who has not reached out to him is his replacement, current Speaker Mike Johnson. McCarthy revealed that he left a note with advice for the new speaker but has not been contacted for guidance. Despite this, McCarthy stated that his job is to help Johnson succeed in any way he can.

One individual that McCarthy will not miss is his old House nemesis, Rep. Matt Gaetz. McCarthy has been at odds with Gaetz for weeks, particularly due to an ongoing probe by the House Ethics Committee against the Florida representative. McCarthy warned that the committee's investigation into Gaetz could uncover criminal behavior, assuming there was no deal made with Speaker Johnson to bury it. McCarthy believes that Gaetz's animosity towards him stems from a misguided belief that he was responsible for instigating the probe. Gaetz, however, dismissed McCarthy's accusations and offered his "thoughts and prayers" to the former congressman.

Regarding his final months in Congress, McCarthy stated that he has no regrets and believes that former President Trump will retake the White House next year. He also expressed confidence that Republicans will expand their House majority. McCarthy criticized President Joe Biden, stating that he is not the same person he knew and worked with when Biden was vice president. McCarthy suggested that if this were a business, Biden would not be qualified to be president.

As for his future plans, McCarthy mentioned that he has an MBA and a background in business. He expressed his love for entrepreneurship and stated that he will likely pursue something in the business world. However, he dismissed rumors that he might go to work for Elon Musk as "kind of crazy."

In response to McCarthy's comments, Gaetz accused him of being “psychotic” and blamed his personal animus for leading the effort to remove him from the speaker's chair. Gaetz referred to McCarthy's accusations of him being crazy as something the FBI would study. McCarthy may have been alluding to the Justice Department's sex-trafficking probe into Gaetz, which ended earlier this year without any charges filed. The House Ethics Committee is still investigating Gaetz for potential sexual misconduct and other allegations.

McCarthy's decision to retire will bring the House Republicans' majority down to two votes after the expulsion of George Santos. McCarthy reflected on his speakership, which was the third-shortest in US history, and stated that he has no regrets about the policies he pursued. He specifically mentioned his decision to prioritize paying the troops during war as the right choice.

Gaetz taunted McCarthy in the weeks leading up to his motion to vacate the chair, and the motion was ultimately approved by eight Republicans and all Democrats. This resulted in a tumultuous 21-day period with no permanent House speaker in place.