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Fox News keeps attacking House Republicans voting against Kevin McCarthy for speaker

“They all look like idiots, and that's how they are acting”

Written by Jane Lee & Alicia Sadowski

Published 01/06/23 10:31 AM EST

After another day of House Republicans failing to elect a speaker, Fox News personalities — with the exception of network darling Tucker Carlson — continued launching attacks against Republican House members opposing Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in his bid for the speakership.

Despite facing backlash from other right-wing media figures and outlets over the network’s general support for McCarthy, particularly after a shouting match between Fox host Sean Hannity and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) over the GOP’s internal stalemate, Fox News personalities maintained support for McCarthy and condemned the holdouts, who Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade called “insurrectionists.”

  • Fox contributor and former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich compared Republicans opposing McCarthy to “terrorists,” saying: “Just as you can’t give in to terrorists and you can’t give in to hostage-takers, you can't allow them to take the conference hostage and win.” [Fox News, Hannity, 1/3/23]
  • Fox host Emily Compagno asked if taxpayers can “bill the government” for the speaker delay and the House GOP’s “inability to come together to serve the American people.” [Fox News, Outnumbered, 1/3/23]
  • Appearing on Fox & Friends, Rep.-elect John James (R-MI) called the House GOP dispute “bitching and moaning from folks who don’t have the vision.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 1/3/23]
  • Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) surmised, “It’s a shame, it makes us look foolish. If I didn't know any better, it is like the Democrats paid these people off.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 1/3/23]
  • Fox host Mark Levin criticized the holdouts, saying, “Chaos and anarchy are not conservatism,” and adding that he had “nothing but contempt” for Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), who has helped lead the opposition to McCarthy’s bid. [Westwood One, The Mark Levin Show, 1/3/23]
  • Fox contributor Mike Huckabee suggested that “Fox needs to run a big screen across the lower thirds that say, ‘House held hostage, day two.’” [Fox News, The Story with Martha MacCallum, 1/4/23] 
  • Fox contributor Ari Fleischer condemned the Republicans opposing McCarthy: “They all look like idiots, and that's how they are acting.” [Fox News, America Reports, 1/5/23]
  • Host Jeanine Pirro attacked Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) for holding out and “making the Republicans look ridiculous,” adding: “With all due respect, I mean, the woman barely won her race.” [Fox News, The Five, 1/5/23]
  • Fox contributor Marc Thiessen described some of the opposing Republicans as “like the Joker in Batman: They just want to see the world burn. You know, the Matt Gaetzes of the world, Lauren Boebert, who barely won her district.” [Fox News, The Story with Martha MacCallum, 1/5/23]
  • Fox prime-time host Sean Hannity criticized the House Republicans holding out: “Do I think that people are being completely and totally and utterly illogical and unreasonable? I do.” [Premiere Radio Networks, The Sean Hannity Show, 1/5/23]
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