Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert snapped at her longtime friend Sean Hannity after the Fox News host pushed back on her call for Representative Kevin McCarthy to withdraw his nomination for speaker of the House.
Boebert appeared on Hannity’s show Wednesday night after U.S. Representatives narrowly agreed to adjourn until Thursday to continue deliberations over the next House speaker. McCarthy, a Republican from California, has failed in six consecutive votes to garner enough support to be elected as the next leader in the GOP-controlled chamber.
During Wednesday’s voting, Boebert shocked members of Congress in a speech on the House floor by criticizing former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of McCarthy. The Colorado representative said it was time for Trump to “tell Kevin McCarthy that ‘sir, you do not have the votes and it’s time to withdraw.’”
McCarthy finished the sixth speaker tally with 201 votes—17 shy of the 218 mandated for election. Boebert, along with the 19 other dissenting Republicans, voted for Florida Representative Byron Donalds.
Hannity on Wednesday night pushed Boebert on her statement to Trump, while saying that he was going to “turn the tables” to her position on the vote.
“Kevin McCarthy has 202-3, votes. Your side has 20,” Hannity says. “So if I’m going to use your words and your methodology and your math, isn’t it time for you to pack it in?”
Boebert attempts to answer the question, saying that she “understands the frustration” as Congress is forced to sit still while representatives fight for a new leader. But she is quickly cut off by Hannity, who tells her that she “didn’t answer my question.”
Hannity proceeds to question Boebert’s criticism of McCarthy and they continue to interrupt each other during the 10-minute segment, which was shared on Twitter by Seattle-based radio host Jason Rantz. The Fox News host also questioned Boebert and her fellow dissenting Republicans on who they wanted for speaker out of the handful of names they have voted for over the past two days.
Sean Hannity grills Rep. Lauren Boebert over the House Speaker game plan and under what circumstances she’d support Kevin McCarthy. pic.twitter.com/x4kLWE66vL
— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) January 5, 2023
“We are going to get there,” Boebert says toward the end of the interview. “I am fine doing this. We’re on Day 2, it’s OK. The government isn’t spending money, sending it to Ukraine, so the American taxpayers are certainly winning.”
Several conservative voices on Twitter posted support for Boebert after the interview aired, including Amy Kremer, political activist and co-founder of the movement Women for Trump.
“It is sad to see how @seanhannity treated @laurenboebert tonight,” Kremer tweeted. “She is an elected Member of Congress and she should be shown some respect.”
David Giglio, former congressional candidate from California, posted that Boebert “ended Sean Hannity on national television” during the heated exchange.
“There’s no coming back from that a** whooping,” Giglio wrote. “Time to retire and get to the bottom of who stole your soul.”
Boebert also earned the backing of Bill Burton, former White House deputy press secretary under President Barack Obama. Burton acknowledged that he had “never agreed with or respected Lauren Boebert on literally anything” prior to Wednesday’s interview.
“That said, she absolutely ate Sean Hannity’s lunch on his own show this evening,” he added. “Never seen anything like it on a primetime Fox show.”
House members will reconvene at noon Thursday to host a seventh speaker vote. According to a tweet from CNN congressional correspondent Manu Raju, McCarthy’s team made an “offer” to several of his opponents Wednesday night regarding policy issues and other changes that dissenting Republicans have demanded, in hopes of winning the additional votes he needs to be elected speaker.
Boebert has previously stated that part of her criticism for McCarthy stems from his rejection of policy proposals that would reform congressional term limits and border policy.
Newsweek has reached out to Boebert’s team for comment.
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