Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says Republicans are “making fools” of themselves and urging them to end their infighting as the House struggles to find a new Speaker.
“Guys on our side can never seemingly find agreement on anything,” the 2016 presidential contender said on Boston Herald Radio’s “Morning Meeting.” “I am quite frustrated with our party.
{mosads}“I think people are going to realize we are making fools out of ourselves with this constant drama,” he added.
Graham’s comments come after House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) shocked Washington on Thursday by quitting the race to replace outgoing Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). The decision from McCarthy, seen as the likely successor, just before a vote threw the party into disarray.
Graham slammed far-right ideologues in his party for the political turmoil.
“That’s what I hate about the conservative movement right now — we’re saying things that are just not possible to accomplish,” he said, citing calls to repeal ObamaCare and defund Planned Parenthood.
Graham said he is particularly outraged by the House Freedom Caucus which had been a frequent thorn in Boehner’s side and had backed Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), a challenger to McCarthy for Speaker.
“They’ve kind of held everybody hostage,” he said of the 40-member-strong group.
“They’ve fired all their bullets,” Graham continued. “They took Boehner down and then McCarthy.
“Nobody’s going to listen to them anymore,” he added. “They don’t have much power left. The House Freedom Caucus is going to be isolated.”
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) is also pursuing the Speakership, and other lawmakers have publicly said they are weighing a bid.
Pressure is mounting on Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, to enter the race. Many Republicans believe Ryan could unify the caucus, but a spokesman for Ryan said he is “still not running” on Friday.
“I’m going to bet that Paul Ryan will rise to the occasion for the good of the country and the party,” Graham predicted.
“I hope Paul will step up, [but] I can understand someone not wanting to deal with the chaos.”