Viral moment for Illinois GOP official who called Matt Gaetz an a------ on convention floor

OAK CREEK, Wis. — The morning after going face-to-face with U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., on the floor of the Republican National Convention, a leading Illinois Republican on Wednesday called the far-right GOP congressman “a loser."

Illinois National Republican Committeeman Richard Porter’s Tuesday night interaction with Gaetz made the rounds in a social media video that showed him berate the scandal-plagued Gaetz for trying to embarrass former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during a television interview.

"Shut up, Gaetz, you don't have to be an a------,” Porter told the Florida Republican on the floor.

Gaetz, a frequent punchline on late-night TV talk shows, responded: "I don't know who you are."

“It doesn't f------ matter who I am,” Porter responded, his face inches from Gaetz's. “Don't be an a------.”

Joe Raedle/Getty

At the Illinois RNC delegation’s Wednesday breakfast, Porter said Gaetz’s display “was just for show. It was obnoxious, it was not consistent with what we’re here for.”

Gaetz "has flashes of brilliance, but he has no discipline,” Porter said during the morning at the delegation's suburban Milwaukee hotel. “I'm sure the people in his district can do better than he is."

On the other hand, “he's still better than AOC,” Porter continued, referencing hyper-progressive U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., a frequent target of Republican ire. “But it's not the right kind of representation for our party.”

Porter said he went back up to Gaetz about 40 minutes later to ask, “‘You good?’ He looked at me … He didn't say anything.”

As for his viral moment, Porter said, “Everything else I stand by. Just the F-word. I should have left that out.”