MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, a former Republican member of Congress, declared the party doomed Friday and said that at least two GOP senators — Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri — should be jailed.
The co-host of “Morning Joe,” who previously represented Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives, spoke candidly about the Republican Party while on the HBO program “Real Time with Bill Maher.”
“Honestly, tell me about this. You’re an independent now. So, what does that say? To me, it says that you think the Republican Party is unsavable,” HBO host and comic Bill Maher asked Mr. Scarborough.
“Unsavable,” Mr. Scarborough agreed. “Oh, no doubt about it.”
Mr. Scarborough, who represented Florida’s 1st Congressional District from 1995 to 2001, subsequently called former President Donald Trump a “fascist” and questioned Republican voters who supported him.
“I used to get attacked by liberals because I was a conservative; now, I’m getting attacked by people who voted for a fascist because I’m a conservative,” Mr. Scarborough said. “You know, my friends and my family members, they all voted for [Trump], and it’s been hard for me to sort of process it. But the only way I’ve been able to come to terms with it is they’re not fascists, but they’ve voted for an ignorant man who is a fascist. I don’t understand why.”
Mr. Scarborough, 57, called out Mr. Cruz and Mr. Hawley later during the interview and blamed them both for the events of Jan. 6, when the U.S. Capitol was breached as members of Congress met inside.
Prior to the Capitol being stormed, Mr. Cruz and Mr. Hawley were among Republicans who challenged the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election as Congress was meeting to certify its outcome.
“Cruz and Hawley are seditionists. They should be in jail,” said Mr. Scarborough. “You can look at the federal statute for inciting sedition, and it seems to me it’s what they did.
Hundreds of people currently face charges related to the rioting on Jan 6. The government is considering sedition and conspiracy charges for some, acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin said previously. Neither senator is among those charged.
Mr. Scarborough announced in 2017 that he was leaving the Republican Party to become an independent. “Jesus, forgive me for ever being a Republican,” he later posted on Twitter in 2019.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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