Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla, says he will push to permit more cameras on the House floor so the public can see what their elected officials are doing.
Gaetz made his comments Tuesday during an interview with NewsNation. The interview came after the congressman last week was confronted on the House floor by Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala.
Rogers was angry after now-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., walked away from Gaetz following a failed attempt to get the Florida lawmaker to change his vote to avoid a potential adjournment on the vote for speaker to Monday or a 15th vote into early Saturday morning.
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 camera.
"I'm going to be working with some of my colleagues in Congress to allow more cameras on the [House] floor to be able to see what the elected the elected representative are doing," Gaetz said.
"That means you'll see some moments of high tension and perhaps a little bit of discord."
He said he holds no ill will toward Rogers.
"Chairman Rogers was a little frustrated by the position, I'd taken," Gaetz said. "But keep in mind this is a man that I've worked with very closely for six years on national defense issues. And so because we have such a close working relationship, it’s OK that you get animated or frustrated and then move past it.
"I think what was really different about this is that we had cameras actually filming the members of Congress from the floor. That doesn’t usually happen.
"And here the American people got to see some of the chats, some of the disagreements, and I think that’s actually a good thing."