### New Speaker Moves to Quash Ethical Report Central to Republican Feud

In recent developments, Speaker Mike Johnson has taken steps to suppress a controversial ethics report implicating former Representative Matt Gaetz in hopes of moving past a tumultuous period for House Republicans. This move comes as a stark reversal from actions taken by his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, whose refusal to halt the ethics investigation into Gaetz significantly contributed to his own ousting.

The tension between Matt Gaetz and Kevin McCarthy became a hallmark of the Republican-led House's recent dysfunction. McCarthy consistently maintained that Gaetz spearheaded efforts to remove him as Speaker because he wouldn't shut down the House Ethics Committee's inquiry into allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use against Gaetz—charges which Gaetz has persistently denied.

With McCarthy no longer in the picture, Gaetz has been named by the president-elect to lead the Justice Department, a significant promotion for the Florida representative. In a move that starkly contrasts with McCarthy's stance, new Speaker Mike Johnson, a relatively obscure Republican from Louisiana, has requested the suppression of the damaging ethics report against Gaetz.

This decision represents a full-circle moment in an ongoing saga that has seen two years of heightened disorder within the GOP. The infighting within the party has been marked by more than just policy disagreements; it has also been deeply influenced by personal vendettas, prominently the feud between Gaetz and McCarthy.

The broader chaos in the House has been driven by stark ideological divides within the GOP, with a minority faction of hard-right conservatives exerting considerable influence over a slim Republican majority. The bitter clashes among individual members have only served to amplify the dysfunction, reflecting a broader trend of increasing polarization and the erosion of compromise in Congress.

As Speaker Johnson steps into his new role, his actions to quash the Gaetz ethics report may signal an attempt to bring a period of relative calm and unity to a deeply fractured House GOP. Whether this will succeed in mending the party's internal rifts remains to be seen.