'Play the game Matt Gaetz played': Ex-rep urges GOP to 'quit letting the legislative terrorists' win

During a conversation with CNN's Anderson Cooper Tuesday night, former United States Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) shared his thoughts on what he thinks House GOP members should do to determine the next Speaker of the House now that the role is vacant.

U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy was ousted as Speaker Tuesday, October 3 when every Democratic House member and eight Republican House members voted to remove him following U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz's motion to vacate the California congressman.

After CNN political commentator Scott Jennings insisted that "the next Republican Speaker will have to make that promise — 'nothing for Ukraine' — in order to get those Republican votes," Cooper asked the ex-Illinois lawmaker, "Congressman Kinzinger, you've been a vocal critic of Kevin McCarthy, your former colleague. Do you think that's true, that any future to get the next speakership, they're going to have to say no Ukraine aid?"

POLL: Should Trump be allowed to hold office again?

Kinzinger replied, "Here's the deal. Here's the deal. They've got to start playing the game that Matt Gaetz played. I mean, everybody chuckled when [ex-U.S. Rep.] Charlie [Dent] (R-PA) talked about a coalition speakership. It's not funny. It actually could work. It's actually the one way we could actually fix this institution. You know, for Matt Gaetz to get eight people and to destroy the institution, to think that there could be eight people now in the GOP that support Ukraine, for instance, that say, 'We are absolutely not going to vote for, come hell or high water, anybody that promises no money for Ukraine' — that's how you actually fight back. The problem is you end up seeing all these people, though, that instead of — I mean, Charlie and I know these folks — we were these folks. We want to get along as a Republican Party. We want peace. We want things to work. They're going to have to start playing hardball, because I agree that the Ukraine thing could be the deal. That would be devastating. Not for Ukraine — for America's reputation around the world, for Taiwan, and for China being emboldened. We need eight to ten people to do that."

Cooper then asked, "But will Republican members of Congress be willing to risk being attacked by, you know, folks in their districts for aligning themselves with Democrats to get things done?"

Kinzinger said, "Well, I don't know because i saw a lot of people that were unwilling to vote to impeach an obvious corrupt president of the united states. but they need to. And I don't think people are going to lose their job because they're fighting for aid for Ukraine. I mean, keep in mind, people still generally support aid for Ukraine. You've got to quit letting the legislative terrorists run the Caucus. And until you play their game, they're going to continue to be legislative terrorists and they're going to continue to win."

Watch the video below or at this link.

Fmr. Republican on what GOP 'legislative terrorists'' next step after McCarthy ouster should beyoutu.be

READ MORE: Newt Gingrich urges GOP to 'swiftly' oust 'anti-Republican' Matt Gaetz