Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) said on ABC's “This Week” Sunday that the Freedom Caucus members failed to get the required 218 votes, so Rep. Mike Lawler (R-Louis.) said he would be re-elected as Speaker of the House.
Jonathan Karl: First of all, let's start with Mike Johnson. Will he be re-elected Speaker of the House? Should we do that?
Lawler: Yes, that's right. The fact is that Mike Johnson inherited a disaster when Matt Gaetz and several colleagues united with 208 Democrats to remove Kevin McCarthy, but this is the most I've ever seen in politics. It will go down as the stupidest thing I've ever seen. That being said, it would be equally foolish to fire Mike Johnson. In reality, these people are playing with fire. And 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 did a great job of keeping the conference unified, keeping major issues off the table, and ultimately maintaining a majority. Frankly, we kept the House, despite the best efforts of some of the same people who are now calling for Johnson's removal from office. A seat like mine. And let me be clear: Just like I did against Kevin McCarthy, I'm not going to bend to their will. So, do they somehow think that firing Mike Johnson will ultimately put them in a stronger position? That's not the case.
I think the bottom line here is that Donald Trump has been given a mandate to govern. He has majorities in the Senate and the House of Representatives. And there's a lot of work to do on behalf of the American people when it comes to the economy, the border, energy policy, and the foreign affairs issues left in front of Donald Trump by Joe Biden and Biden. Kamala Harris.
Without speakers, nothing would be possible, including the certification of President Trump's election on January 6th. So wasting time with pointless internal food fights is a joke. And, my colleagues, if we learned nothing from the 118th Congress, I think there should be no need for a fight for the Speaker's seat.
Karl: So according to my calculations, he can't afford to lose more than one vote. And one of your colleagues, Massey, has already said he won't vote for you. Do you really think he's going to get all the House Republicans together?
Lawler: Well, first of all, on January 3rd, we'll have 219 members.
Karl: Yes.
Lawler: Assuming Matt Gates doesn't show up. And I think that's a big assumption. But there are 219 of them. 218 pieces are required.
Karl: That's a difficult calculation.
Lawler: Of course, even with the loss of Thomas Massie, we still have 218 left.
Karl: Yes. yes. right.
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Lawler: So, at the end of the day, you're playing with fire, so people should be very careful. And if anyone thinks they can get 218 votes to someone from, say, outside the Freedom Caucus, they're kidding themselves.
