Former GOP Congressman Goes Scorched Earth on ‘Craven’ Kevin McCarthy: ‘His Goal in Life Is Basically to Empower Himself’
Former Republican Rep. Justin Amash took a blowtorch to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, calling his former leader a “craven” man driven by relentless self-interest.
Amash served as a congressman for Michigan’s third district from 2011 to 2021. In 2019, he left the GOP and became an independent before joining the Libertarian Party. He did not seek reelection in 2020.
Appearing on CNN Tuesday night, Amash didn’t hold back during a discussion about the upcoming midterms with Jake Tapper.
“It seems right now Democrats and Republicans feel as though Republicans are gonna probably have a pretty good night in two weeks,” Tapper said. “What are you picking up out there?”
Amash predicted Republicans will retake the House, in which case, McCarthy will likely be elected Speaker. He also made a remark that seemed to take Tapper aback.
“I’m not sure this is a good thing for Republicans in the long run, especially for Kevin McCarthy if he’s the Speaker of the House,” Amash said.
“Why?” asked Tapper.
Amash explained that if Republicans hold just a slim majority, a handful of Republican lawmakers could make life difficult for McCarthy.
“If that’s the case, then you have a few members of the House who will basically be able to dictate the process to Kevin McCarthy, which could be good for the overall flow of the House,” Amash said. “It might actually open things up, but it’s going to make Kevin McCarthy’s job miserable.”
Tapper invited Amash to elaborate on McCarthy.
“And Kevin McCarthy, not somebody that you have a tremendous regard for his leadership skills,” the CNN host said.
“Right, not someone I admire,” Amash replied. “I think he’s basically craven. I think his goal in life is basically to empower himself. And I’ve seen him go through Congress not knowing what he’s talking about, switching policy positions on a dime. We saw that with President Trump, where one day he’s saying Trump is responsible for January 6th. Another day he’s saying Trump is great and he’s not responsible. So, you know, he’s a guy who’s about himself, and I think that’s really bad for Congress.”
Watch above via CNN.
