Former House Speaker and Republican Newt Gingrich criticized the failure of the Republican Party in Congress to advance a candidate to his former position. His harshest criticism was directed at the eight Republicans who cast their vote to remove Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from office over two weeks ago.

His remarks were delivered mere hours after Ohio Representative Jim Jordan (R-3) canceled a third vote in the House regarding the next speaker. Despite not receiving a sufficient number of ballots in the polls conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday, Jordan declared himself to be in the race.

On Thursday, during Gingrich’s appearance on the Kudlow program of Fox Business, the presenter jokingly mentioned that he had voted for the nonexistent candidate.

He was told by Larry Kudlow, “I wrote you in.” Gingrich laughed and then unleashed his fury on House Republicans, especially those who had voted to remove McCarthy:

These folks have gotta calm down. The level of anger, the level of hostility in the conference – all of it started by the eight traitors. That’s what they were – traitors, who abandoned their party and allied with the Democrats against 96% of the Republican Party with no idea what they would do if they won. They have caused chaos. They have embarrassed the Republican Party and they have weakened the United States at a time when there are two major wars underway. And it’s really, truly, I think the most disgraceful behavior by Republicans in my lifetime.

In response to Representative Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) nomination for chairman, the House voted automatically to remove McCarthy. McCarthy’s tenure as speaker was terminated by the affirmative vote of Gaetz and seven other Republicans who sided with the Democrats.