Peter King: Newt Gingrich 'Does Not Have The Capacity To Control Himself'

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) blasted Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich on Tuesday, saying the former House Speaker is "too erratic."

"He's too self-centered," King said. "He does not have the discipline, does not have the capacity to control himself."

King did say that Gingrich is a "tremendously inspirational person, as far as rallying troops," and that he would prefer the Gingrich to Obama in 2012. If Newt were to take the presidency, though, King predicted "the country and Congress would be going through one crisis after another."

Others have spoken out against Gingrich since his recent surge in the polls. Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) recently said he "just found his leadership lacking."

"There's a lot of candidates out there. I'm not inclined to be a supporter of Newt Gingrich's having served under him for four years and personally experienced his leadership," said Coburn said on "Fox News Sunday."

King's opposition to the GOP hopeful dates back at least to 1996, when King said Gingrich had an "attitude that appeals to the mentality of hillbillies at revival meetings." More recently, King said Gingrich was too "undisciplined" to be the Republican presidential nominee.