Republicans are exhausted from the ongoing chaos in the lower chamber.
On Thursday, New York Republican Mike Lawler blamed Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and “seven useful idiots” for turmoil in the House sparked by their successful effort to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from office. (RELATED: Rep. Gaetz Ousted Speaker McCarthy To Stop His Sex Scandal Probe)
Lawler slammed members of his own party for weakening Johnson's negotiation powers in the battle over aid to Ukraine and Israel. The foreign aid package has moved rapidly through the House despite objections from some conservatives. The House is expected to vote on Saturday.
“Some of these folks have nobody to blame but themselves for why Speaker Johnson's hand in negotiations has been weakened,” Lawler told CNN's Anderson Cooper during his Thursday night appearance on “AC360.” “It's their actions that have done that.”
“I look at this very simply,” he said. “In October, the House was thrown into chaos by Matt Gaetz and seven useful idiots that teamed up with him within the Republican Conference and 208 Democrats.”
“And at this moment, when you see what happened in the aftermath of vacating the chair and Israel attacked in a terrorist attack a week later, to do that again would be detrimental to the country and global security.”
Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (La.) and Thomas Massie (Ky.), have said they'd back a motion to oust Johnson. (RELATED: Prominent Republican Joins Marjorie Taylor Greene's Effort To Oust Johnson)
Lawler projected confidence that foreign aid legislation would pass the House despite the threats against the speaker.
“The foreign aid bill will pass,” Lawler told Cooper.
“It must pass,” he continued. “The United States has an obligation as leader of the free world to support our allies at this most critical juncture and to make it clear to our adversaries that we will not tolerate their actions and what they have done to undermine and destabilize the free world.”
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