MSNBC Host Tells Lauren Boebert To 'Get Real' During Grilling On Kevin McCarthy

MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle snapped at Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) to get real as the lawmaker attempted to pontificate about lofty political ideals she claimed were behind her refusal to back Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as House speaker.

Ruhle alerted her audience at the start about the unsual Wednesday night interview with Boebert on MSNBC.

I want you to know that we are not giving her a free pass to talk about conspiracy theories, were not giving her a free pass to talk about the lies that she has spread at other times, Ruhle explained. Instead, she added, the interview would be an attempt to try to understand what is keeping Congress from starting the work of the American people. Thats why we talked to her tonight.

Ruhle then repeatedly pressed Boebert on why she and other extremists were blocking McCarthys bid for the speakership. He failed Thursday to win a record 11th vote to be named speaker as extremist Republicans and their allies blocked his success.

We want to fundamentally change the way Washington, D.C., operates, said Boebert, who blamed McCarthy for the red wave that never materialized when the Republicans failed to run away with Novembers midterm elections.

Look, Kevin McCarthy has been in leadership for 14 years. What does he have to show for that? Boebert asked, without detailing what she thought he should have been doing.

We arent just electing somebody who can fund-raise and just rubber-stamp him into office, she added. Thats not what I was elected to do . This is us .... actually using our votes, and I believe our Founding Fathers intended it to be this way.

Ruhle responded: OK, well, our Founding Fathers arent here. So lets get real and lets get practical.

Ruhle pointed out that most Republicans are with McCarthy and that the Republican oppositions latest candidate, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), garnered only 20 votes. She asked how someone like that could be expected to unify Republicans, which Boebert claimed was a goal.

Ruhle also pointed out that House Republicans are dead in the water until a speaker is chosen. Voters are saying, Hold on a second, I voted you in to get something done, said Ruhle. How long are you willing to wait?

Your Support Has Never Been More Critical

Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone.

Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you.

Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.

You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you.

Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all.

Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all.

Support HuffPost

Boebert responded: As some of my colleagues have said, we could be here until the cherry blossoms bloom.

Check out the interview here:

","type":"video","meta":{"author":"MSNBC","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaXkIU1QidjPwiAYu6GcHjg","cache_age":86400,"description":"Rep.-Elect Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is at the center of the effort to keep Kevin McCarthy from becoming House Speaker. She joins Stephanie Ruhle to talk about the Republican stonewalling and if theres a path forward.\n Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc\n\nFollow MSNBC Show Blogs \nMaddowBlog: https://www.msnbc.com/maddowblog\nReidOut Blog: https://www.msnbc.com/reidoutblog\n\nMSNBC delivers breaking news, in-depth analysis of politics headlines, as well as commentary and informed perspectives. Find video clips and segments from The Rachel Maddow Show, Morning Joe, The Beat with Ari Melber, Deadline: White House, The ReidOut, All In, Last Word, 11th Hour, and Alex Wagner who brings her breadth of reporting experience to MSNBC primetime. Watch Alex Wagner Tonight Tuesday through Friday at 9pm Eastern. \n \nConnect with MSNBC Online \nVisit msnbc.com: http://on.msnbc.com/Readmsnbc\nSubscribe to the MSNBC Daily Newsletter: MSNBC.com/NewslettersYouTube\nFind MSNBC on Facebook: http://on.msnbc.com/Likemsnbc\nFollow MSNBC on Twitter: http://on.msnbc.com/Followmsnbc\nFollow MSNBC on Instagram: http://on.msnbc.com/Instamsnbc\n\n#msnbc #laurenboebert #kevinmccarthy","options":{"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"_end":{"label":"End on","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"_start":{"label":"Start from","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s","value":""},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}},"provider_name":"YouTube","thumbnail_height":720,"thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qw1TSGqerkA/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"title":"Stephanie Ruhle grills Boebert on House speaker debacle: Is that what your voters asked you to do?","type":"video","url":"https://action.news/watch?v=qw1TSGqerkA","version":"1.0"},"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"fullBleed":false,"options":{"theme":"news","device":"mobile","editionInfo":{"id":"us","name":"U.S.","link":"https://action.news","locale":"en_US"},"originalEdition":"us","isMapi":false,"isAmp":false,"isVideoEntry":false,"isEntry":true,"isMt":false,"entryId":"63b77574e4b0fe267caf0480","entryPermalink":"https://action.news/entry/lauren-boebert-stephanie-ruhle-kevin-mccarthy-house-speaker-fight_n_63b77574e4b0fe267caf0480","entryTagsList":"lauren-boebert,house-speaker,stephanie-ruhle","sectionSlug":"politics","deptSlug":"politics-news","sectionRedirectUrl":null,"subcategories":"media","isWide":false,"headerOverride":null,"noVideoAds":false,"disableFloat":false,"isNative":false,"commercialVideo":{"provider":"custom","site_and_category":"us.politics","package":null},"isHighline":false,"vidibleConfigValues":{"cid":"60afc111dcf87c2cd2f5d8bf","overrides":{"front_page_top_videos":{"desktop":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","mobileweb":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d"},"top_media":{"desktop":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","mobile":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"anthology":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"},"content":{"desktop":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","mobile":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","iphone":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","ipad":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","androidphone":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","androidtablet":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c"}},"playerUpdates":{"5668ae6ee4b0b5e26955d6a6":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","56aa41bae4b091744c0440d8":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81","5841b2b5cc52c716ec6e5a7f":"60b8e355cdd90620331ba185","58b5e2b8d85a10302feee895":"60b64316b171b7444beafdb2","58b74698f78ced31417819ae":"60b8e5bec5449357a7ad9b52","58b74ccecebcea57e2c3a3d1":"60b8e5eac5449357a7ad9ca5","58cff690d85a100b9992bc39":"60b8e616cdd90620331bb0ba","58cffb3fb6d9b972a49a3c9d":"60b8e643cdd90620331bb1f6","58cffdd74d96935d7d6ec180":"60b8e671c5449357a7ad9f66","58d03a84f78ced6518eb2fa7":"60b643c82e76be41f112735c","592edf20e0fa177b0c26f7fd":"60b8e699c5449357a7ada04c","5b35266b158f855373e28256":"60b64354b171b7444beaff4d","5c116f29f79c4171d82b7c2a":"60b64440b171b7444beb040b","5c1170fc600c9a697bf0c6b9":"60b646102e76be41f1127ffc","5c47791afa1b317df8ae0c4f":"60b8e6bdc5449357a7ada147","5c477987a6b48b35f164773d":"60b8e701c5449357a7ada2ee","5c4779ee943c3c2a64f28371":"60b8e747cdd90620331bb861","5c477a26fcd67b26879bc7c2":"60b8e788c5449357a7ada67b","5d8921a78c3ae845f366c9b6":"60ae7be5f3a7c13a30417ff9","58b98b00ba82aa39a6534321":"60d0de7c9340d7032ad1146c","58b9d14cb6d9b96c9ec32af3":"60d0dec19340d7032ad115a0","58cff8eccebcea42931e0436":"60d0e005b627221e9d819d44","592edf5de0fa177b0c26f95b":"60d0e38fb627221e9d81adcf","58cff72fd85a100b9992c112":"60d0e447b627221e9d81b0da","56b4d34fe4b022697697c400":"60d2472d9340d7032ad7e443","60b8e4c0c5449357a7ad957d":"60e869dc7c5f3b17b6741b81"}},"connatixConfigValues":{"defaultPlayer":"ff7fdddc-5441-4253-abc4-f12a33fad58b","clickToPlayPlayer":"d014396e-b366-4c17-aeac-3ce906fa3fd0","videoPagePlayer":"f010447b-d244-4111-a314-7b4542ae4145","verticalPlayer":"e58cb05a-0bc8-4210-9108-fea82726c065","stickyPlayerControl":"52ea1755-d601-4ad1-bccc-d8cce3f0e5da","stickyPlayerON":"8055e9e5-3bda-4933-8d45-9ad814fb6e22"},"topConnatixThumnbailSrc":"https://img.connatix.com/620a680f-2a64-4720-a082-4fd6d1fe5395/1_th.jpg?crop=480:270,smart&width=480&height=270&format=jpeg&quality=60&fit=crop","customAmpComponents":[],"ampAssetsUrl":"https://amp.assets.huffpost.com","videoTraits":null,"positionInUnitCounts":{"buzz_head":{"count":0},"buzz_body":{"count":0},"buzz_bottom":{"count":0}},"positionInSubUnitCounts":{"article_body":{"count":9},"blog_summary":{"count":0},"before_you_go_content":{"count":0}},"connatixCountsHelper":{"count":1},"buzzfeedTracking":{"context_page_id":"63b77574e4b0fe267caf0480","context_page_type":"buzz","destination":"huffpost","mode":"mobile","page_edition":"en-us"},"tags":[{"name":"Lauren Boebert","slug":"lauren-boebert","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/lauren-boebert","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/lauren-boebert","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/lauren-boebert"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/lauren-boebert"},{"name":" house speaker","slug":"house-speaker","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/house-speaker","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/house-speaker","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/house-speaker"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/house-speaker"},{"name":"Stephanie Ruhle","slug":"stephanie-ruhle","links":{"relativeLink":"topic/stephanie-ruhle","permalink":"https://action.news/topic/stephanie-ruhle","mobileWebLink":"https://action.news/topic/stephanie-ruhle"},"url":"https://action.news/topic/stephanie-ruhle"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["

\r\n\r\n","

\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false}">