‘Turned Out He Was A Child Molester’: CNN’s Jake Tapper Reminds Dana Bash How Last ‘Consensus Candidate’ Worked Out for GOP

CNN anchor Jake Tapper casually reminded co-anchor Dana Bash how the last “consensus candidate” for speaker of the House worked out for Republicans as they struggle to select a new one now.

The big political story this week is outgoing House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s tumultuous bid to become speaker amid a revolt from House conservatives, a story which culminated at noon on Tuesday with three votes in which McCarthy failed to secure a win.

On Tuesday’s edition of The Lead, Bash referenced a “consensus candidate” from the nineties — former Speaker of the House Denny Hastert — who, Tapper reminded her, left a less-than-stellar legacy:

BASH: I defy you to find another news network where the same show quotes Tin cup and Hillel in the same room. I think it’s possible that there is a dark horse because we have seen that. We haven’t seen it play out on the floor, but prefloor when Newt Gingrich was ousted and they were looking for a consensus candidate, you know, that he —

TAPPER: It turned out it was a child molester, but OK, yes.

BASH: True, convicted. But that did happen. And so, there is — it’s a very different Republican world, it’s a very different political world now. But there is precedent for that kind of thing if Kevin McCarthy can’t get the vote. Even though I will say just real quick, I’ve talked to several Republicans who insist that there are 60 to 70 who will just keep voting for Kevin McCarthy until and unless he pulls himself out.

PHILLIP: Yes, I mean, look, at this point, there has to be some kind of dark horse candidate. It could literally be anyone. Listening to Chip Roy it almost sounded like what he was saying was that they need to prove to Jim Jordan that Jim Jordan can win. And they might have to do that because, I mean, Jordan is not going to put his — stick his neck out there if he can’t get to 218. And I think at the moment that’s not entirely clear. He wouldn’t be the first politician to basically go to his supporters and say, OK, prove it to me that you have — that you can get the support, and then I’ll be ready to go. So —

TAPPER: Not because — in the immortal words of Omar, if you come for the king, you best not miss.

PHILLIP: Exactly.

TAPPER: Yes.

PHILLIP: I mean, look, that is true not just of Jim Jordan, but also of Scalise.

TAPPER: Yes.

PHILLIP: Also of all these other folks. Nobody wants to go at McCarthy. Even though he’s not that powerful of a figure unless they know the —

TAPPER: Still the most powerful as of now.

Watch above via CNN.

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