In an interview taped on Friday but aired Sunday morning, CBS’s Robert Costa challenged cowardly former Speaker Kevin McCarthy to come up with an excuse for disgraced former President Trump’s pretty obvious plans to create a dictatorial police state, imprison journalists, shut down international commerce at the border, etc and got quite possibly the most McCarthy answer possible.
“You praise Trump’s policies. You say he’s a good guy. But many Americans, they look at his language, they listen to his speeches, and they hear an authoritarian. Some say even a fascist on the horizon in this country. What do you say to people who have those real concerns?” Costa asked.
“Look, I don’t see that, and this is what I tell President Trump, too. What President Trump needs to do in this campaign, it needs to be about rebuilding, restoring, renewing America. It can’t be about revenge,” said McCarthy. “He’s talking about retribution, day in, day out,” said Costa.
“He needs to stop that,” McCarthy responded. “He needs to stop that.” Costa: “You think he’s going to listen to you saying, ‘Stop that. Stop that’? He hasn’t listened to anybody before.”
“That’s not true. He will adapt when he gets all the facts,” said McCarthy. For some reason Costa didn’t then laugh in face, instead saying “He’s not backing away from his calls for retribution.”
McCarthy kept going with “Yeah, but remember, you have a check and balance system. And I think, at the end of the day-” Costa interrupted with “Where’s the check and balance on him in the Republican Party?” and then McCarthy said “America doesn’t want to see the idea of retribution. If it’s rebuild, restore and renew, then I think you’ll see that. And look – that’s him. But I’m not gonna change who I am. And I’m not gonna stop giving him the advice. And look, I lost the job of Speaker. Maybe I don’t have the best advice. But I know one thing is, I love this country. I want tomorrow to be better than today. And I’m gonna do everything in my power, and I’m gonna be engaged in the process to make it better.” Costa’s interview with the worm then ended.