Rep. Mike Lawler (R-Louisiana) said Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) has “inherited a disaster” and should be re-elected speaker of the House. .
During an appearance on ABC's “This Week,” host Jonathan Karl asked Lawler whether Mr. Johnson could or should be re-elected as Speaker of the House of Commons.
“Yes, yes,” he answered. “The fact is that Mike Johnson inherited a disaster when Matt Gaetz and several of his colleagues united with 208 Democrats to remove Kevin McCarthy. This is the worst I've ever seen in politics. It will go down as the stupidest thing I've ever seen.”
Lawler was referring to the October 2023 turmoil and firing of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). The insurrection was led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) and came days after the former California Republican averted a government shutdown. Although the stopgap measure garnered support from Democrats, the move infuriated hardline Republicans.
Lawler, who represents a district won by President Biden and Vice President Harris in 2020, said it would be “equally foolish” to fire Johnson.
“The reality is these people are playing with fire,” he says. “If they think they can somehow get more conservative speakers, they're kidding themselves.”
“Mike Johnson is probably the most conservative chairman ever elected president,” he added.
Lawler pointed out that nothing can be done without the Speaker of the House.
“We can't get anything done without a chairman, including certifying President Trump's election on January 6th. So why waste time in pointless internal food fights?” It's a joke.''
Despite his support, Mr Lawlor criticized Mr Johnson's response to the Continuing Resolution (CR). At one point, he stood up during the Republican meeting and told Mr. Johnson that the government funding process was not led by lawmakers, according to people who were present.
Conservatives in the House of Commons were outraged earlier this month over a 1,547-page bill that Mr. Johnson and other parliamentary leaders announced just days before the government funding deadline.
The bill was later reduced to 116 pages and passed by wide margins in both chambers.
