After the election of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in a process widely seen as an embarrassment, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) told KOA radio host Ross Kaminsky this morning, “Like I said, this was the most productive week I’ve seen in Congress.”
Boebert made a similar comment on Twitter yesterday, adding there that it was not only the most productive but also the most “functioning assembly of the House of Representatives” that she’s seen since her arrival in Congress.
After 15 votes, House Republicans overcame the opposition of about 20 of their colleagues and elected McCarthy speaker of the House. The votes featured shouting, finger-pointing, hostile posturing, and other late-night drama.
“There was a lot of self-control this week.”
Asked by Kaminsky if “we’re going to see a slightly different Lauren Boebert not in principle but in rhetoric.”
“I think you saw that this week,” she replied. “I had plenty of time to say many things about many people. There was a lot of self-control this week. It wasn’t about personal attacks ever.”
“I believe we are going to come out of this stronger than when we went in,” Boebert told Kaminsky, pointing to concessions McCarthy made to Boebert and other extremists, such as agreeing to the “vacate rule,” allowing a single member of Congress to call a vote to oust the speaker. Boebert had pointed to the adoption of this rule as her prime objective in the election of the speaker.
“No one is intending to use the motion to vacate,” Boebert told Kaminsky. “I hope we never even have to consider it.”
RELATED. Boebert: Next Speaker Must Bring Back Members’ Ability to Oust Speaker At Any Time
Boebert said she’s made peace with McCarthy.
“We’ve had private conversations where we just made peace with one another,” said Boebert on air. “And said, ‘How do we work together going forward? How do we unify the Republican Party because America does not want us in chaos and dysfunction.”
In a KNUS interview Jan. 7, Colorado Congressman Ken Buck also downplayed the strife on display during the McCarthy election.
“So I think that we are a much stronger party now than we were, and I think we are on the right track,” Buck told KNUS’ Jimmy Sengenberger, adding, “The Democrats are sheep and we’re not.”
Boebert on KOA Jan. 9.
