Left: Rep. Matt Gaetz. Right: Rep. Nancy Mace.
Left: Rep. Matt Gaetz. Right: Rep. Nancy Mace.Left: Drew Angerer/Getty Images. Right: Allison Joyce/Getty Images.
  • Kevin McCarthy was elected Speaker of the House on Saturday.

  • Nancy Mace criticized Gaetz for exploiting the vote.

  • McCarthy made room deals to get the seat.

Following a tumultuous week in the House that highlights new divisions within the GOP, Rep. Nancy Mace took a shot at the controversial Rep. Matt Gaetz.

Matt Gaetz isn't a real person. Mace said that every time he voted against McCarthy he sent out a fundraising email. The constitutional process was diminished by political actions.

Gaetz accused McCarthy of standing in the way of a true majority in a message to supporters.

An email to supporters read: "McCarthy and his allies have pulled every trick in the book to silence me and give the Speaker of the House the title of Speaker of the House."

Gaetz, who was on the receiving end of Rogers's emotional lunge, was one of 20 of his far-right colleagues who refused to vote for McCarthy.

Gaetz was one of six lawmakers who changed their votes to "present" in order to allow McCarthy to win the speaker's job.

Gaetz told CNN that he ran out of things he could have asked for. McCarthy won the speakership but it's not clear how much power he gave to the Republicans.

Mace told Brennan that they didn't know what they got. We did not see it. We don't know what promises were made or what handshakes were made.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

She said that it gave her a bit of heartburn because it wasn't what she was running on. It is funny.

Mace was first elected to represent the 1st District of South Carolina in 2011. Mace criticized Donald Trump for his involvement in the January 6, 2021 insurrection. She argued that the process for impeachment was rushed.

During the third and fourth days of the Speaker vote, Mace brought her dog to the chamber and said there were no rules.

The House is going to vote on a rules package on Monday. Brennan was told by Mace that she wasn't sure if she would support the rules package.

The rules package is good. It's the most conservative package we've had in 30 years. Mace said he supported it. A small number of people trying to get a deal done or deals done for themselves in private in secret to get a vote or a vote present is not something I support. I don't think that's right.

Mace, Gaetz, and McCarthy representatives did not reply to Insider's request for comment.