Jon Karl: In Private, ‘Top Republicans’ Have Told Me They Think Paul Gosar ‘Is Not All There’ and Has ‘Lost It’

ABC News’ Jonathan Karl spoke with Anderson Cooper Wednesday night about his new book, and shared what he has heard from Republicans behind the scenes about Paul Gosar.

Gosar was censured on Wednesday by the House of Representatives for his bonkers anime meme depicting him as a character killing Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Only two Republicans — Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger — voted for the resolution.

Karl suggested to Cooper that there would have been more Republican yes votes had it just been a resolution to condemn Gosar’s tweet and didn’t include stripping him of his committee assignments.

Cooper asked about what Republicans have said to him privately about their “embarrassment, shame, concern about the future of the party.”

“The way Republicans would talk about Gosar privately,” Karl responded, “is entirely different than what you saw at the spectacle today ofcoming in and effectively defending him.”

“They say he’s lost it,” he continued. “I’ve had top Republicans tell me about Gosar specifically before this episode, ‘You know, he ‘s not all there.'”

Cooper asked if it’s just the fear of being primaried that is keeping Republicans from saying these things in public.

“It’s a real fear,” Karl said. He recalled the second Donald Trump impeachment vote and again suggested there would have been more Republican votes if that was a censure vote as well.

Gosar has remained defiant after his censure, and he thanked some of his Republican colleagues who rather forcefully stood up for him on the House floor.

You can watch above, via CNN.