Perhaps besides the new speaker himself, Rep. Matt Gaetz may be happiest that Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson is taking the gavel and replacing ousted Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
“Speaker Mike Johnson follows God Almighty and the Constitution — in that order,” Gaetz said on Newsmax on Wednesday night. “He doesn’t follow the whims and wishes of the lobbyists and special interests, and that’s refreshing.”
“This is the chance to break the cycle, to break the fever, to put an honest, just man in charge of the institution,” Gaetz continued. “They’re hand-wringing, and crying and bedwetting over at the lobbyists’ offices, but we’re all excited about all we can do here for the American people.”
In the news: Biden Admin Fears The Return Of Higher Gas Prices After They Drained Strategic Oil Reserves
On X (formerly Twitter), Gaetz added, “If you don’t think that moving from Kevin McCarthy to MAGA Mike Johnson shows the ascendence of this movement and where the power of the Republican Party truly lies, then you’re not paying attention.”
While Republicans united behind Johnson with a unanimous vote to make him speaker, at least one of Gaetz’s fellow Republicans remains angry at his effort to dump McCarthy in favor of a more conservative leader.
Before the final GOP vote to elect Johnson, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, usually a staunch ally of Gaetz’s, called on the Fort Walton Beach Republican to apologize for the soft coup against McCarthy.
“I also hope that the eight Republicans who joined the Democrats and ousted Kevin McCarthy, they need to apologize, and we need to heal our conference in order to move forward,” the Georgia Republican told Fox Business Network. she said.
In the news: Florida Gov. DeSantis Places Chicago-Based Firm On ‘Scrutinized Companies’ List
Besides Gaetz, Greene was referring to Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Ken Buck of Colorado, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Eli Crane of Arizona, Bob Good of Virginia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Matt Rosendale of Montana.
On Wednesday, Greene voted for Johnson and said on X that he has “the conservative record to unite the Republican conference.”
Rep. Mike Johnson
Republican Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana secured the gavel on the first vote Wednesday after the House had been without a speaker for three weeks.
Johnson was the House GOP’s fourth speaker nominee since Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the role on Oct. 3. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise both withdrew from the race prior to a floor vote, and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan failed to receive enough support after three rounds of voting.
Every House Republican voted for Johnson, and all House Democrats supported Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for speaker.
House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York gave Johnson a nominating speech ahead of the vote and praised the congressman for being a “servant leader” who has the ability to unite GOP members.
In the news: California Gov. Newsom Meets With Chinese Dictator To Discuss ‘Greatest Existential Threat’ Climate Change
Johnson was one of nine House Republicans vying for the conference’s nomination on Tuesday, which originally elevated Emmer for the position. After Emmer withdrew from the race hours later, Johnson won the nomination against Republican Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida, Chuck Fleischmann of Tennessee, Mark Green of Tennessee and Roger Williams of Texas.
“Democracy is messy sometimes, but it is our system. This conference that you see, this House Republican majority, is united,” Johnson said in a speech following his nomination. “I’m honored to have the support of my colleagues, and what they understand about this is this is servant leadership. We’re going to serve the people of this country, we’re going to restore their faith in this Congress, this institution of government. America is the last best hope of man on the earth — Abraham Lincoln said it, Ronald Reagan used to remind us all the time, and we’re here to remind you of that again. We’re going to restore your trust in what we do here.”
Emmer, Jordan and Scalise all threw their support behind Johnson for speaker. While former President Donald Trump didn’t officially endorse Johnson, he urged House Republicans to vote for the congressman ahead of the floor vote Wednesday.
Johnson is in his fourth term in Congress and serves as the vice chairman of the House Republican Conference. The congressman sits on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Armed Services Committee.
Android Users, Click To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter. Signup for our free newsletter.
We can’t do this without your help; visit our GiveSendGo page and donate any dollar amount; every penny helps