Fox's Brian Kilmeade retreats after lambasting GOP 'insurrectionists' for voting against Kevin McCarthy

Fox News' Brian Kilmeade recently shared a critical opinion of Republican lawmakers who have publicly refused to support Rep. Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) bid for Speaker of the House.

In fact, the Fox News host even went a step further referring to the lawmakers as "insurrectionists." Although he attempted to backpedal on his remarks by changing his wording, the damage had already been done.

Kilmeade made the remarks during the Fox News' "Fox & Friends" segment on Thursday, January 5.

"This is how insincere the insurrectionists are -- I probably shouldn't use that word," Kilmeade said during the segment. "The people that don't want to vote for Kevin McCarthy. Saboteurs. If you're picking Jim Jordan, he hasn't agreed to anything you want. At least Kevin McCarthy agreed to some things."He added, "There are other people you're writing in... they haven't agreed to anything. So you're willing to take who you think they might be, as opposed to who you've been negotiating with for months."

In wake of the remarks, Kilmeade is facing criticism for backpedaling. In a new op-ed published by Mediaite, Colby Hall expressed concern about how the definition of the word "insurrectionist" has been stretched in recent years to better fit Republicans' defense of their actions and the behavior of those who were involved in the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.

"Kilmeade’s off-the-cuff and unpolished-cum-authentic broadcast style was on full display Thursday morning when he derided the “Never Kevin” set of the twenty or so House Republicans refusing to support Rep. Kevin McCarthy as 'insurrectionists,'" Hall wrote. "Fortunately for Kilmeade, he heard that word come out of his mouth and immediately walked it back, took Steve Doocy’s 'saboteur' suggestion and proceeded with his larger point."

Hall added, "Why is that fortunate for Kilmeade? Because since Jan. 6, 2021, the word “insurrectionist” has become loaded with political meaning and has been seen as an unfair word by former President Donald Trump and his supporters, who attacked the Capitol in trying to overturn the 2020 election. In other words, failed at an insurrection."