Chaos Ahead: Democrats Warn of GOP Infighting Following Election of Rep. Mike Johnson as House Speaker

On Wednesday, Democratic strategist Chai Komanduri warned of chaos from Republicans in the House of Representatives following the election of Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) as its new speaker. Komanduri said the ousting of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the role three weeks ago was kickstarted by extremist Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) at “the behest” of Donald Trump.

Komanduri said Trump wanted McCarthy out because he “did not shut down the government and create an atmosphere of chaos by which” the former president could win back the White House. She added that Johnson will “do Donald Trump’s bidding” and that Republicans could “shut down aid to Ukraine to help Trump’s major benefactor, [Russian]”.

The election of Johnson as speaker was preceded by three weeks of GOP infighting, with the party cycling through failed candidates before finally electing Johnson. One of the three touted House GOP recruits who launched a House campaign during this period was Buckhout, who said in an interview with NBC News that the chaos “didn’t change what I want to do”.

The election of Johnson as speaker marks the end of the three-week standstill in the House of Representatives. It remains to be seen how the new speaker will lead the House and what the consequences of his leadership will be.