Advertisement

Many Republicans allegedly say privately that Paul Gosar is 'not all there' and 'he's lost it,' per Jonathan Karl

Jonathan Karl stopped by Anderson Cooper 360 on Wednesday, where the ABC News chief Washington correspondent broke down some details he learned while writing his new book, Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show, which chronicles Trump’s final days in the White House, and beyond.

That includes what he has heard about Arizona Republican congressman Paul Gosar, who was censured and stripped of his committee assignments by the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, after he posted a video depicting an animated version of himself attacking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and President Joe Biden. A censure is the most severe form of punishment in the House, short of expulsion.

When Cooper asked Karl if Republicans have privately expressed embarrassment, shame and concern to him about the future of the party, Karl said, “Oh, yes.”

He expanded on that in reference to Gosar, after multiple Republicans stood up for him on Wednesday. But Karl said it’s a different story behind closed doors.

“The way Republicans would talk about Gosar privately, is entirely different than the spectacle today of effectively defending him,” Karl said. “I mean, they say he's lost it.

Gosar, whose own siblings have spoken out against him on multiple occasions, responded to the censure by retweeting the same video that got him in trouble in the first place, and Karl was not surprised.

“I've had top Republicans tell me about Gosar specifically, before this episode. ‘He's not all there,’” Karl said.

Anderson Cooper 360 airs weeknights at 8 p.m. on CNN.

Check out the star-studded way that George Clooney tried to cheer up John Oliver:

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.