Liberal MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle sparred with Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., one of the outspoken rebel lawmakers blocking Kevin McCarthy from becoming House Speaker.
Towards the end of a fiery interview, Ruhle pointed to the rhetoric of Boebert's GOP colleague Dan Crenshaw of Texas, who has been vocal in his criticism of the 20 Republicans who refuse to rally behind McCarthy.
"Dan Crenshaw and these other Republicans, do you see yourself working with them again?" Ruhle asked. "In the last 24 hours, he's called you ‘the enemy’ and said you would rather work with Democrats than Republicans."
"He thinks you’re doing all of this for attention. And let’s be honest, you’ve never been on with me before," the MSNBC host added.
HANNITY AND BOEBERT SPAR OVER HOUSE SPEAKER CHAOS: SHOULDN'T ‘YOU PACK IT IN?’
"Well I've seen Dan Crenshaw work with Democrats on red flag laws," Boebert responded. "So this is just how things operate here."
Boebert continued, "We are going to come together, we are going to be stronger than ever, we are going to handle the issues that the American people care about. We just need to elect a speaker. And it's ok if it takes a couple of days. It's not the end of the world, there will be a news cycle that comes around when we get to work and you see how productive we can actually be when we are united. I believe that we will find that consensus candidate and someone who can unite the Republican Party and I look forward to that day."
Earlier in the interview, the "11th Hour" host repeatedly challenged Boebert over the math working against her, stressing McCarthy has over 200 votes while the opposition is only at 20.
"Yesterday, you backed Jim Jordan. Today, you're backing Byron Donalds as speaker. He's got 20 votes. You think that guy's getting to 218 tomorrow?" Ruhle asked.
"I know that there are many of our colleagues who are cheering us on silently," Boebert responded.
"Silently won't help, ma'am," Ruhle interrupted.
"We're going to get there as long as it takes," Boebert asserted. "And we're going to make sure that this is right for the American people."
After listing potential alternatives to McCarthy like Steve Scalise and Patrick McHenry, which Boebert rejected, Ruhle pressed her, "How long are you willing to wait?"
"The American people voted you in, you waited for this… you've got the power, and every day that passes that you are not doing your jobs, voters are saying, ‘Hold on a second, I voted you in to get something done.’ So, when you talk about names coming up and evolving, give me a timeline. How long are you willing to wait for this evolution?" Ruhle grilled Boebert.
"Well actually, I look at it and a very different way," Boebert responded. "I see it as Congress not spending money they don’t have. Because every day that I’ve been in Congress, we’ve done exactly that. So, the taxpayers are actually winning here because Congress has not organized.
"Excuse me, I'm going to interrupt you," Ruhle pushed back. "With every passing day, it's not that Congress isn’t spending money. Anything that was put in place during Nancy Pelosi’s term, none of that is going to stop. And until you put a speaker in place, nothing that you want to do is getting done."
Before cutting to a commercial break, Ruhle appeared to defend having Boebert on her program in an address to her viewers following the interview.
"The most important news story in politics right now is the fracture in the Republican Party that's preventing Congress from selecting a speaker of the House. And I want you, our audience, to know Lauren Boebert was here tonight because she's at the center of that story," Ruhle told viewers. "I want you to know that we are not giving her a free pass to talk about conspiracy theories. We're not giving her a free pass to talk about the lies that she has spread at other times. We don't even cover them on this show, but trying to understand what is keeping Congress from starting the work of the American people, that's why we talked to her tonight."
