Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger says it’s ‘just a fact’ House Speaker McCarthy is a ‘piece of s–t’

Former Illinois congressman Adam Kinzinger blasted the Republican leader who would have been his superior had he remained in office.

“Kevin’s a piece of s–t,” Kinzinger declared in an interview with Bulwark posted Thursday.

The six-term representative was referring to newly elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, whom he’s criticized for many things, including McCarthy’s unwillingness to take action against already disgraced congressman George Santos. The congressman from New York’s 3rd district — who has lied about many details of his background while campaigning for office in 2022 — was sworn in last week by McCarthy.

“Let’s just be honest about this because (McCarthy) will say whatever he needs to say to stay in power,” Kinzinger said. “I’m not even saying that gratuitously to be mean to him. It’s just a fact.”

Kinzinger has also been critical of McCarthy because of the California congressman’s unwillingness to move the Republican party away from former president Donald Trump, whose followers launched an assault on the U.S. Capitol after being falsely told the election was stolen.

[ Trump gives backing to Rep. Kevin McCarthy for speaker after day of Republican humiliation ]

Kinzinger — a former Air Force pilot — fell out of favor with the GOP after taking a congressional committee assignment investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack. He opted not to seek re-election in 2022 and now works with CNN.

According to Kinzinger, because McCarthy holds narrow support within the party, which took 15 votes to elect him as speaker on Jan. 7, he can’t afford to stand up to alleged ne’er-do-wells like Santos.