Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, vented about GOP "enemies" against Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House in a fiery interview on Tuesday.
"They are enemies now," he told CNN's Manu Raju. "They have made it clear that they prefer a Democrat agenda [over] a Republican one."
A small but crucial group of conservative Republicans are not backing McCarthy for House Speaker, leaving who will hold the gavel in doubt.
"This handful of members is very clearly looking for notoriety over principle," Crenshaw said. "That's what it is, and anyone who suggests differently is in some sort of make-believe, fantasy reality."
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Crenshaw said when you're part of a team, "you hash this stuff out … and then you move on," unless you're a "narcissist."
"If you're a narcissist, and you believe that your opinion is so much more important than everyone else's and you'll keep going, and you'll threaten to tear down the team for the benefit of the Democrats, just because of your own sense of self-importance, that's exactly what's happening here," he said.
In an interview Tuesday with "Fox & Friends," Crenshaw said the goals of the caucus not supporting McCarthy were unclear and called them fake "white knights" who are trying to get more airtime. He also called them "petty" and urged them to make their differences with McCarthy about policies, not personal vendettas.
"It makes us look foolish. If I didn't know any better, it's like the Democrats paid these people off," Crenshaw said.
McCarthy failed to get enough votes in the first round on Tuesday afternoon, as too many Republicans defected for Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., or other choices to deny him he 218 he needed.
Tensions are high in the Republican conference on what was supposed to be a triumphant day as they took back the majority after four years in the wilderness.
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., muttered "this is bulls---" under her breath during a House GOP Conference meeting Tuesday regarding McCarthy's bid for speakership.
The comment, which a Boebert spokesperson told Fox News Digital was not yelled or said into a microphone, came Tuesday morning as McCarthy, R-Calif., delivered a speech aimed to unite his party ahead of the leadership vote. McCarthy faces opposition for speaker from Boebert, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and members of the House Freedom Caucus, who claim he has not proven to be worthy to be leader of the new Republican majority.
Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., said the House Republican meeting was "hostile," and that McCarthy’s attempt to persuade hard-line Republicans to vote for him fell flat.
"The meeting was very hostile and I don’t think it did anything to persuade those who are inclined to vote against Kevin McCarthy," Good told Fox News.
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Fox News' Patrick Hauf and Houston Keene contributed to this report.
