Former Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-Va.) pulled no punches with his withering prediction of how the first days of the new, upcoming GOP-controlled Congress will play out.
“It’s going to be miserable. Miserable,” Riggleman told Bloomberg’s Joe Mathieu on Monday’s “Balance Of Power.”
“I think it’s going to be a miserable day. I think you’re going to have a lot of votes,” he continued, referring to what he believes may become a protracted battle for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to retain his leadership role, despite President-elect Donald Trump’s endorsement of him.
“Just to elect a speaker, not even pass a piece of legislation?”Mathieu asked Riggleman.
The former lawmaker responded: “Just to elect a speaker. Oh, the legislation’s going to be a shit show.”
“Well, you can’t say that,” Mathieu said, alluding to the curse word.
“Oh, sorry,” Riggleman laughed.
“It’s OK,” said Mathieu.
Riggleman served in Congress from 2019 to 2021.
He confessed in 2022 to no longer thinking of himself as a Republican because “the party has moved away from conservative principles to this cult of personality” of Trump. He backed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris over the now-president-elect in the 2024 election.