Former Speaker Newt Gingrich criticizes Republicans who oppose Kevin McCarthy's bid for Speaker

Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich slammed Republicans who oppose current House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, whose once expected Speaker of the House role is now in jeopardy.

Nine members of the House Republican Conference sent McCarthy a letter of non-support on Monday.

"These guys can't count straight. They can't play tic-tac-toe. They can't accept victory," Gingrich said in an interview with Fox News. "To undermine [McCarthy] is to undermine conservatism, undermine the Republican Party and, frankly, undermine the country."

The letter opposing McCarthy was signed by  Reps. Scott Perry, of Pennsylvania; Paul Gosar, of Arizona; Chip Roy, of Texas; Dan Bishop, of North Carolina; Andy Harris, of Maryland; and Andrew Clyde, of Georgia, along with Rep.-elects Andy Nogales, of Tennessee; Anna Paulina Luna, of Florida, and Eli Crane, of Arizona.

"For someone with a 14-year presence in senior House Republican leadership, Mr. McCarthy bears squarely the burden to correct the dysfunction he now explicitly admits across that long tenure," the letter reads.

Gingrich said in his interview with Fox News that this is just going to spark chaos in the Republican Party. He also said that this should be a time that House Republicans recognize victory. 

"McCarthy has agreed to every policy they have asked for," Gingrich said. "The truth is that the Freedom Caucus has won a huge set of victories."