Kevin McCarthy takes parting shot at Matt Gaetz as he exits Congress: 'He was psychotic'

Soon-departing former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., took a parting shot at the GOP congressman who led the charge to oust him.

McCarthy took aim at firebrand Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz while talking to reporters on Thursday, saying he was "psychotic" and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) studies minds like his.

"He was psychotic," McCarthy said of Gaetz's actions that led to McCarthy's ouster as House speaker.

"People study that type of crazy mind, right?" McCarthy told a small group of outlets including Fox News Digital. "Mainly the FBI."

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Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has frequently taken shots at Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. (Getty Images)

It was the latest volley in the steady feud between McCarthy and Gaetz, whose motion to vacate ultimately led to McCarthy losing the House speakership.

McCarthy recently told Politico that Gaetz belongs behind bars when asked about the House's Florida Republicans. 

"You have a cross-section [of the delegation]," McCarthy told the outlet in late November. "You have Gaetz, who belongs in jail, and you have serious members."

McCarthy's criticism appeared to reference the ongoing probe of Gaetz by the House Ethics Committee into allegations of sexual misconduct and misuse of his funding.

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Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., talks to reporters just after then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's last-ditch plan to keep the government temporarily open collapsed at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 29. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Gaetz pushed back at McCarthy, telling the outlet those were "tough words from a guy who sucker punches people in the back," referencing allegations that McCarthy assaulted Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., by elbowing him in the kidneys.

"The only assault I committed was against Kevin’s fragile ego," he added.

Their relationship appeared strained as tensions rose following Gaetz's motion to vacate against McCarthy in October, eventually resulting in McCarthy's removal as House speaker.

Reps. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., left, and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. (Win McNamee/Getty Images | Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

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McCarthy took frequent shots at Gaetz throughout the process of selecting a new House speaker, which ultimately led to Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La, taking over the gavel. 

Gaetz and Burchett were among eight Republicans who voted with Democrats to remove McCarthy.