Rep. Mike Rogers ‘Regrets’ Nearly Punching Rep. Matt Gaetz During House Speaker Vote

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Alabama) is expressing regret following a tense moment with Republican colleague Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida). Onlookers believed that Rogers looked “menacing” and seemed ready to throw a punch while approaching Gaetz.

Rogers raised his voice and pointed at the Florida lawmaker, but he was quickly pulled away by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-North Carolina).

“@RepMattGaetz and I have a long and productive working relationship, that I am sure will continue,” the veteran Alabama lawmaker tweeted on Sunday. “I regret that I briefly lost my temper on the House Floor Friday evening and appreciate Matt’s kind understanding.”

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Rogers’ outburst came after Rep. Kevin McCarthy‘s (R-California) 14th failed vote for the speakership. McCarthy supporters had swayed many GOP holdouts, leading some to believe that the speaker’s race was finally done.

Gaetz, however, voted “present,” denying McCarthy a majority of the votes – and extending the embarrassing GOP sideshow to find a new speaker.

McCarthy eventually won the speakership in a historic 15th round of voting after several other congressmen agreed to vote present.

Gaetz and Rogers are both on the Armed Services Committee. When asked whether the two lawmakers could work together on Fox, Gaetz said, “we are going to work together wonderfully going forward.”

“He has my forgiveness,” Gaetz later said in a tweet.

Rogers’ anger might have been due to backroom handshake deals between McCarthy and Gaetz. Gaetz may have been offered the gavel on the subcommittee – a role that Rogers believes should have been handed to more qualified candidates.

Without an elected House Speaker, the chamber’s standard rules were not established. The rules typically bar cameras from filming different angles of sessions. Because those rules weren’t set, C-Span captured never-before-seen altercations on the House floor. Some members of the House have called for those cameras to have greater access in the future.