THERE YOU GO. WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. PLEASE, HAVE A SEAT YOU ALL.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY GUEST TONIGHT SERVED SIX TERMS IN
CONGRESS AND IS NOW A SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR FOR CNN.
PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW," CONGRESSMAN ADAM
KINZINGER. ♪ ♪ ♪
( APPLAUSE )
THANK YOU. >> Stephen: WELCOME BACK.
>> THANK YOU. >> Stephen: WELCOME BACK.
>> I'M FREE! >> Stephen: OUT OF THERE.
WELL, THAT LEADS TO MY FIRST QUESTION.
YOU'RE OUT OF CONGRESS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 12 YEARS?
>> 12 YEARS. >> Stephen: WHAT'S IT LIKE ON
THE OUTSIDE? >> IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY GREAT.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I -- >> Stephen: IF YOU HAD KNOWN
IT WOULD BE THIS GOOD YOU WOULD HAVE QUIT SOONER.
>> YOU MISS PARTS OF IT, YOU KNOW.
SOMETIMES IN THE FIGHT YOU WISH YOU COULD BE THERE TO KIND OF
HAVE YOUR SAY ON SOME OF THIS STUFF.
BUT WHEN I WATCHED THAT SPEAKER FIGHT HAPPEN AND SOME OF THOSE--
SEE THING THROUGH ONE SPEAKER VOTE IS MISERABLE.
SITTING THROUGH 15 IS INSANITY, AND I'M SO GLAD I WASN'T THERE
FOR THAT. >> Stephen: YES, BUT, OKAY--
( APPLAUSE )
McCARTHY SQUIRM FOR THOSE 15 VOTES, TO HAVE TO KOWTOW TO GUYS
LIKE GAETZ? TO ACTUALLY GO HAT IN HAND TO A
MAN LIKE MATT GAETZ. WASN'T THAT PLEASANT.
>> IT WAS A LITTLE GRATIFYING. THE TOUGH THING IS YOU KNOW HOW
BAD THAT IT IS FOR THE COUNTRY. YOU'RE MAKING COMMITMENT TO
PEOPLE I FRANKLY DON'T THINK HAVE THIS COUNTRY'S HEART IN
THEIR MINDS. IT'S ABOUT THEIR OWN FAME, THEIR
ATTENTION. I HAVE TO TELL YOU, THE DAY
KEVIN McCARTHY WENT TO MAR-A-LAGO A WOWM OF WEEKS AFTER
JANUARY 6, HE CHANGED THE DIRECTION OF THE PARTY.
>> Stephen: AFTER HAVING SAID AFTER JANUARY 6, THE PRESIDENT
BEARS SOME RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT HAPPENED.
>> THEN HE FORGOT THAT. SO WATCHING HIM HAVE TO, HAVE
TO, YOU KNOW, STRUGGLE A LITTLE BIT.
I WOULD SAY THERE'S A LITTLE PART OF ME THAT KIND OF ENJOYED
THAT. >> Stephen: AND YOU HAVE NEVER
BEEN THAT SOFT SPOKEN. YOU SPEAK YOUR MIND.
YOU'RE PRETTY FRANK. BUT YOU RECENTLY-- I THINK THIS
WAS JUST LAST WEEK-- YOU SAID THIS ON A PODCAST.
YOU HAD SOME CHOICE WORDS ABOUT THE NEW SPEAKER.
JIM. >> KEVIN'S A PIECE OF ( BLEEP ).
LET'S JUST BE HONEST ABOUT THIS. HE WILL SAY WHATEVER HE NEEDS TO
SAY TO STAY IN POWER. I'M NOT EVEN SAYING THAT
GRATUITOUSLY TO BE MEAN TO HIM. IT'S JUST A FACT.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ). >> I DIDN'T KNOW THE MIC WAS ON.
>> Stephen: JUST TO BE CLEAR YOU SAID THAT AFTER YOU LEFT
OFFICE, RIGHT? >> I DID, I DID.
>> Stephen: HOW MANY MEMBERS OF THE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS CALLED
YOU UP AND WENT, "OH, THANK YOU FOR SAYING THAT"?
>> I THINK THEY'RE ALL SCARED I'M PROBABLY GOING TO DIME THEM
OUT IF I DO. I STILL HAVE PEOPLE THAT CALLED
ME SAYING, "I WISH WE COULD GET THROUGH THIS."
I WAS GETTING A LOT OF INFORMATION DURING THE SPEAKER'S
VOTE. I KNOW THE DYNAMICS THAT WERE AT
PLAY THERE, AND IT'S MISERABLE. >> Stephen: SO WHAT'S THE DEAL
NOW,s IS ANY ONE PERSON IN THE HOUSE CAN CALL FOR ESSENTIALLY
LIKE A SNAP VOTE AND SAY HE HAS TO RUN FOR SPEAKER AGAIN?
>> YEAH. SO BASICALLY THEY CAN CALL THIS
LIKE A NO CONFIDENCE, A MOTION TO VACATE THE CHAIR.
YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THAT.
ANYBODY IN THE HOUSE CAN DO IT NOW.
>> Stephen: REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT.
>> REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT. AND THIS WAS HELD AS, LIKE, A
SWORD OF DAM CLOSE OVER PRIOR SPEAKERS' HEADS.
BOEHNER FOR INSTANCE WANTS TO CUT A DEAL WITH THE DEMOCRATS ON
DEBT, THEY WOULD HOLD THIS OVER HIS HEAD, PAUL RYAN.
SO THEY CHANGED THE THRESHOLD SO THEY IT COULDN'T BE USED AS A
WEAPON. WHEN WE GET TO THE DEBT LIMIT,
WE APPROACHED IT TODAY, BUT WE HAVE TIME WITH MEASURES BEING
TAKEN PLACE, THEY'RE GOING TO SAY, THESE 20 PEOPLE OR
WHATEVER, ARE GOING TO SAY, "KEVIN, IF YOU CUT A DEAL WITH
THE DEMOCRATS IF WE DON'T PASS THE DEBT LIMIT, WE'RE GOING TO
VACATE THE CHAIR." THAT IS A SCARY THING BECAUSE WE
HAVE NEVER AS A COUNTRY, NEVER, BREACHED THE DEBT LIMIT.
WE CAME AS CLOSE AS WE COULD IN 2011 WHEN I WAS THERE AND IT HAD
REAL EFFECTS ON THE ECONOMY. >> Stephen: TECHNICALLY
SPEAKING HERE, IF KEVIN McCARTHY ACTUALLY GREW A PAIR
AND SAID, "WE HAVE TO INVESTIGATE GEORGE SANTOS,"
COULD SANTOS CALL FOR A SNAP ELECTION?
>> YEAH, YEAH, HE COULD. HE COULD.
>> Stephen: WOW. >> IN HIS RECOUNTING HE PROBABLY
ALREADY HAS A COUPLE OF TIMES.
>> Stephen: NICELY DONE. NICELY DONE.
YOUR-- YOU'RE PETITIONING FOR SANTOS TO RESIGN.
YOU'VE ORGANIZED A PETITION ONLINE FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.
TELL ME WHY YOU'RE DOING THAT. >> SO HE MADE SOME COMMENT
ABOUT, YOU KNOW, "LOOK IF 170,000 PEOPLE VOTED FOR HIM TO
PUT HIM IN OFFICE, IF 170,000 PEOPLE WANT ME OUT I'LL LEAVE."
WE WANT TO GET 170,000 PEOPLE. I DON'T THINK HE SPECIFIED WHERE
THEY HAD TO BE FROM. >> Stephen: IS THAT AN
ABERRATION OR AN EXTENSION OF NORMALIZING THE AMOUNT OF LIES
THE FORMER PRESIDENT TOLD, AND PEOPLE LIKE MARJORIE TAYLOR
GREENE OR BOEBERT OR GOSSAR. >> Stephen: WE'RE IN A
DANGEROUS PLACE. OBVIOUSLY, HE AND OF HIMSELF,
COMPLETELY LYING ABOUT ANYTHING, WITH NO MOORING TO ANYTHING TRUE
WHATSOEVER IS AN ABERRATION. THE PROBLEM IS PEOPLE ARE
DEFENDING HIM, NOT JUST BECAUSE THERE'S ONLY A FIVE-SEAT
MAJORITY BUT BECAUSE NOW POLITICS IS ALL ABOUT JUST
OWNING THE OTHER SIDE. IF YOU CAN SAY SOMETHING MEAN
ABOUT THE OTHER SIDE, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU SAY, IT DOESN'T
MATTER HOW YOU LIE, AND THAT IS A PROBLEM WHEN YOU BECOME
UNMOORED TO TRUTH. WHEN YOU LIE ABOUT AN ELECTION
BEING STOLEN, WHEN YOU LIE ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS, TRUTH OF A
SUDDEN IS REALLY EASY TO GET AWAY FROM.
IT'S REALLY EASY TO MAKE STUFF UP.
SO I THINK HE PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE THERE WITHOUT THE LIES THAT
HAD PRECEDED THIS MOMENT. >> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A
QUICK BREAK. BUT STICK AROUND WE'LL BE RIGHT
BACK WITH MORE CONGRESS ADAM KINZINGER, EVERYBODY.