Adam Kinzinger Holds Nothing Back In McCarthy Review: ‘Kevin’s a Piece of S**t’

Adam Kinzinger held nothing back when reviewing Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the former congressman accusing the Republican leader of being willing to say whatever it takes to get elected.

Kinzinger’s shots at McCarthy stemmed from a conversation with Bulwark’s Charlie Sykes this week on the topic of Rep. George Santos (R-NY). Now that McCarthy’s bitter battle to become speaker is in the rearview mirror, one of the biggest questions for Republicans has become the future of Santos, a freshman House Republican who has been accused of pushing major lies about his education, work history, and more during his campaign.

Sykes suggested McCarthy may do nothing at all to Santos, and Kinzinger, who recently signed on with CNN, eagerly agreed, describing him as a power-hungry leader.

“Kevin’s a piece of shit,” Kinzinger said. “And let’s just be honest about this, because he will say whatever he needs to say to stay in power. I’m not even saying that gratuitously to be mean to him. It’s just a fact.”

The former congressman also blasted McCarthy for targeting certain Democrats like Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and getting them booted from committees, arguing there was more reason to vote Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) out of positions in the past.

On Santos, Kinzinger argued McCarthy’s grip on the party is so tenuous that he will tolerate Santos in exchange for loyalty.

“Kevin needs his vote,” he said. “If this was a 20 vote majority, he’d throw Santos under the bus, but it’s a five-vote so he needs him.”

Watch above via the Bulwark