Rep. Mike Rogers Restrained as He Challenged Rep. Gaetz

Tension boiled over the six holdouts sitting firm and Republicans gathered around Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., as the 14th vote for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was failing.

After McCarthy walked away from a failed attempt to get Gaetz to change his vote to avoid a potential adjournment to Monday or a 15th vote into early Saturday morning, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., an ally of McCarthy, angrily confronted Gaetz, telling him he would regret his decision.

Lawmakers on the floor yelled in disbelief as Rogers was held back by Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C. — his left hand covering Rogers' mouth — in a moment captured live on Newsmax and press pool cameras.

But Gaetz and Boebert sat unmoved; and after McCarthy walked back resigned to a motion to adjourn until Monday, Gaetz pointed to his right bicep in a show of defiance of the near confrontation.

As the votes to adjourn were reached — but the result not gaveled in — Gaetz walked down to McCarthy to tell him he would change his vote to adjourn to no via a red card, permitting a 15th vote he said would be successful.

It was the extraordinary moment that brought House Republicans to the brink — and ultimately, the moment they found their way back.

Just one vote short of becoming speaker of the House, McCarthy stood from his chair and walked down the center aisle to the back of the chamber. It was nearing midnight, and he had already lost 13 votes for speaker over four long days. The room fell almost silent as it became apparent the GOP leader was now asking Gaetz to change his vote from "present" to "McCarthy."

Gaetz, who had hurled personal insults at McCarthy just hours earlier on the House floor, said no.

McCarthy slowly walked back down the aisle, alone, head tilted to the ground. But he turned back around when he heard the scuffle behind him.

McCarthy walked back to make sure the argument was over and then returned to his chair, defeated.

He lost the 14th vote. Allies moved to abruptly adjourn the House, their hoped-for unity seemingly coming apart.

Then tempers cooled. And within the hour, McCarthy — and former President Donald Trump — had persuaded his five other remaining opponents to vote "present" as well, lowering the vote total necessary for McCarthy to win and handing him the speakership by early Saturday morning.

"I hope one thing is clear," McCarthy said when he finally took the gavel after 1 a.m. ET. "I never give up."

The chaos on the House floor came exactly two years after the Jan. 6, 2021 storming of the Capitol. During a late-night session after that attack, McCarthy called it the "saddest day I've ever had" as a member of Congress. In the days afterward, McCarthy blamed Trump for encouraging his supporters, who attacked the building and interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden.

But just a few weeks later, McCarthy traveled to see Trump in Florida and made amends.

While many lawmakers denounced Trump at the time, McCarthy's Florida visit brought him back into the fold; and the former president was working the phones Friday evening, calling Gaetz and the other holdouts.

"He was with me from the beginning," McCarthy said after the final vote, noting Trump's phone calls as well.

Two of McCarthy's closest lieutenants, Reps. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina and Garrett Graves of Louisiana sat on either side of Gaetz during the vote, with Graves at one point on his knees. But Gaetz could be swayed only partially, and he stood to say "present" when the roll call reached his name. It was not enough, and McCarthy approached him just before the vote was called, C-SPAN cameras tracking his short journey.

Gaetz was angrily pointing at McCarthy during the conversation. But Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., a McCarthy supporter who was standing nearby, said the exchange between the two men was pleasant, and McCarthy just asked him to change his vote. Gaetz said his "present" vote was as far as he was going, Buck said.

McCarthy said afterward Gaetz eventually "got everybody there to the point that nobody voted against me," persuading some of his fellow colleagues to vote "present" as well. In the end, no Republican voted against McCarthy.

They wanted to "make this conference united and work together," McCarthy said.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.