Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich remarked on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends” on Monday that Republican House lawmakers attempting to derail Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) speaker quest have a “psychological problem.”
“This is a conflict between a handful of people and the rest of the conference,” Gingrich remarked. “And they claim they have the authority to ruin everything. That is the precedence that is set; so do the moderates, and so do the Florida members. I mean, any five individuals may stand up and declare, ‘I’m going to sabotage the conference, too.’ “It’s either Kevin McCarthy or mayhem.”
“I think it’s a really stupid and, to be honest, selfish viewpoint,” he continued, “and I don’t see where they’re coming from.”
“These five people decide to go out as kamikazes and see if they can sink the entire Republican Party,” he added. “That’s exactly what they’re doing. It has nothing to do with Kevin McCarthy. It’s about any five members’ right to effectively throw away the entire remainder of the conference and convey to the rest of the conference that it doesn’t matter.”
“Why would they do that?” wondered guest host Griff Jenkins. “That makes absolutely no sense, Newt.”
“I believe it’s a psychological problem,” Gingrich stated. “These men can’t even count straight. They are unable to play tic-tac-toe. They are unable to accept triumph.”
