McCarthy attorney sends cease-and-desist over anti-Gaetz campaign

The tense shutdown feud between Kevin McCarthy and Matt Gaetz now includes legal action from the speaker’s office over allegations concerning a social media campaign.

The Florida Republican amplified a post from a conservative social media influencer on X, which claimed that a “McCarthy proxy” had tried to pay him to promote a post “against Gaetz and the government shut down.” Gaetz responded to the allegation by calling McCarthy “pathetic.”

McCarthy’s office denies it has anything to do with the account, with the speaker’s outside counsel sending a cease-and-desist email Tuesday night to an individual at the firm Notorious LLC, which describes itself as a “global content studio and network.” The email demands that the individual immediately stop claiming they are working on behalf of the GOP leader, according to a copy of the email first reviewed by POLITICO.

“I understand based on multiple reporter inquiries that reference your name that you are reaching out to social media influencers about a “Against Gaetz and government shutdown” [campaign] and claiming it is in on [sic] behalf of Speaker McCarthy and/or entities purportedly affiliated with the Speaker. That is false and in violation of the law,” writes Elliot S. Berke, who is a managing partner at Berke Farah LLP.

“This email puts you on notice that you must immediately cease and desist or we will move forward with all remedies under the law influencing the pursuit of damages where warranted,” he concluded.

The individual at Notorious LLC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.