CNN
—
House Speaker Mike Johnson is seeking to emphasize his close relationship with former President Donald Trump, a Louisiana Republican as he faces the threat of a vote to strip him of the speaker's gavel.
Mr. Johnson and Mr. Trump are scheduled to appear together at Mar-a-Lago on Friday, giving a joint speech and announcing “election integrity.” The event, which officials said was the chair's idea, threatened to force Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia to force a vote to oust Johnson from top leadership. It comes as Mr Johnson faces the most serious challenge to his presidency in Washington. post.
And as Prime Minister Johnson heads to Florida to highlight issues that President Trump cares deeply about, people familiar with the matter say he has another mission in mind. It gives the former president a sense of the Ukraine aid package, which could be a politically dangerous policy issue. That would anger President Trump, split House Republicans and potentially end Johnson's tenure as the new speaker. Some of the speaker's allies are keeping Trump informed about his plans for Ukraine, recognizing that legislation could be blocked not only by Johnson's chairmanship but also by Trump's support or opposition. Mr. Johnson is advised to provide it.
Johnson did not say Friday whether he would discuss the threat of expelling him with Trump.
“I never comment on private conversations with President Trump, but I look forward to going to Florida and spending time with him,” Johnson told reporters in Washington.
Prime Minister Johnson and President Trump spoke at a joint news conference Friday afternoon, in part to “draw attention” to state proposals and lawsuits that would allow non-citizens to vote, a senior Trump adviser said. Currently, federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections, and noncitizens who vote illegally risk up to a year in prison and deportation fines. But President Trump has routinely falsely claimed that Democrats want to bring in illegal immigrants to influence elections.
The issue has become something of a rallying cry for Republicans as they seek to stoke fears over immigration and election security ahead of the November election, as voters continue to cite the border issue as a top priority. There is.
Mr. Trump's influence, and the extent to which he taps into House Republican infighting, could be a powerful force in the race for the speakership.
Mr Johnson's decision to hold the event with the former president comes as he faces intense pressure from the right over a range of policy issues, including aid to Ukraine, and faces important decisions about his path forward. , an opportunity to seek political protection.
Johnson's allies have urged Trump to publicly support the speaker or at least stay out of any communications with House Republicans, according to multiple sources close to Johnson and Trump. That's what it means.
Mr. Trump has already shown how he will make governing even more difficult for Mr. Johnson. Just this week, the former president called on Republicans to repeal the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a stance Trump took as he tried to pass the reauthorization bill on the floor. After President Trump called for the bill to be repealed, a group of hard-line conservatives revolted against Republican leadership, blocked a vote on the floor, and reversed efforts to pass the bill.
On Thursday, Majority Leader Steve Scalise told reporters that lawmakers had discussed FISA with President Trump over the past 24 hours after the president called on them to “kill FISA” before voting on the procedure. Told.
“I've had some conversations with the president, and I'm not going to share those conversations, but I think a two-year sinking has a lot of appeal for a lot of people,” Scalise said.
The bill has two years left to expire, meaning that if Trump wins the presidential election, it will be up to him to decide whether to change the FISA law next time.
Johnson has long been an ardent supporter of Trump and was behind the scenes supporting Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. CNN previously reported that after the election, Johnson sent an email from his personal email account to all House Republicans calling for the invalidation of the Electoral College votes of Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. It reported that it asked for signatures to support the state lawsuit. The case was ultimately dismissed by the Supreme Court.
But it's unclear what, if anything, Trump will do now that Johnson faces the threat of a vote to remove him from the chair.
When Mr. Johnson was elected speaker of the House of Representatives, he was initially supported by conservatives, given that his ideology has long been seen as further to the right than former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. But as speaker, Mr. Johnson faces the challenge of overseeing the passage of key legislation such as the government funding bill with support from Democrats and with a historically slim majority, which has angered conservatives. ing.
Greene indicated Thursday that she would continue her efforts to oust Johnson even if Trump endorsed him in their meeting on Friday.
Greene said she considered the effort to oust Johnson “separate” from the effort between former President Johnson and the speaker. Greene, repeatedly asked by CNN's Manu Raju if she would proceed with the effort to oust Johnson even if President Trump supports him, repeatedly indicated she was not ready to halt the effort.
“I believe the motion to leave is also supported by a significant number of members of the chamber. It is an internal matter within the House regarding our elected Speaker. They are two separate issues entirely. We will have a great meeting tomorrow. I hope so,” she said.
But many House Republicans don't want to see Mr. Johnson stripped of the gavel, which consumed Congress for weeks after conservatives ousted Mr. McCarthy in a historic and unprecedented vote last year. Afraid of returning to chaos and dysfunction.
Johnson told House Republicans in a closed session Wednesday that he spoke with the former president the day before. But when asked by CNN whether he had sought Trump's support in the face of a potential vote to oust him, Johnson said: “I am not going to comment on my conversations with President Trump.” Ta.
Trump's team also declined to comment on the call.
However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that if the vote to remove the speaker was forced, “there would be chaos in the House of Commons”.
Greene, one of President Trump's most loyal supporters, also told CNN that she recently spoke with the president, but declined to say how he felt about her efforts.
“I'm not speaking for the president,” Greene said Wednesday after a tense 70-minute meeting in the speaker's office.
Asked about Johnson meeting with Trump on Friday, Greene said: “I'm not concerned about that.”
Johnson and Greene were also seen speaking on the House floor on Friday. Mr Johnson said the two talked about “all sorts of things”, adding: “Dialogue is important.”
“Marjorie and I agree on a conservative philosophy,” Johnson told reporters. “We just have different ideas about strategy from time to time. The important thing about governing in times of divided government like we have now is to communicate with your members, understand the thought process behind it, and understand the thought process behind it. It’s about understanding that they have a voice.”
A person familiar with the matter told CNN that Mr. Trump did not want to get into any more competition for the speaker.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN's Manu Raju, Fredreka Schouten, Lauren Fox, Haley Talbot and Christine Wilson contributed to this report.