Speaker Mike Johnson's Battle Cry: Makes Desperate Bid To Quell Party Turmoil

By Javier Sanchez | Monday, 18 March 2024 01:50 PM
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Speaker Mike Johnson's Battle Cry: Makes Desperate Bid To Quell Party Turmoil

In a bid to quell internal party strife, House Speaker Mike Johnson has issued a stern warning to Republicans engaging in intra-party battles during primary elections.

The Louisiana Republican's message was clear: "knock it off." This directive was delivered during the House Republicans' annual retreat at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, where Johnson sought to unify the often-divided conference.

The call for unity comes as at least four incumbent Republicans from South Carolina, Illinois, Texas, and Virginia find themselves in contentious primary battles against fellow party members. "I’ve asked them all to cool it," Johnson stated during the retreat, as reported by CNN. He expressed his strong opposition to such internal conflicts, deeming them unproductive and divisive. "And it causes division for obvious reasons, and we should not be engaging in that," he added.

Johnson's challenge extends beyond quelling internal discord. He is also tasked with navigating his slim majority through a series of divisive legislative issues. These include providing military aid to Ukraine, finalizing government funding, and reauthorizing a federal surveillance program. All these tasks must be accomplished while convincing voters to re-elect a GOP House majority.

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In his conversation with the media outlet, Johnson reiterated his call for unity, urging those challenging incumbents within the GOP to cease their actions. He noted the blame game that often ensues, with both sides claiming, "Well, we didn’t start it, they started it."

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Johnson assumed the role of Speaker late last year, following the ousting of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in a historic move that left the Republican party deeply divided and steeped in dysfunction. Despite the challenges, Johnson remains committed to his leadership role.

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In a conversation with Fox News Digital, he expressed his intention to remain as Speaker and in leadership, irrespective of whether the GOP retains the House majority. "My intention is to stay as speaker, stay in leadership, because we're laying a lot of important groundwork right now for the big work that we'll be doing," Johnson stated.

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