“Sometimes Trump” Congressman Don Bacon (R-Neb.) surprised “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker on Sunday.
Bacon, an Omaha Republican, said Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) could be ousted if he held a floor vote for aid to Ukraine. The remarks came after a $1.2 trillion spending package to keep the government funded through the remainder of the fiscal year passed the House. Following the vote, discontent from the GOP caucus led Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Green to file a motion for Johnson's removal.
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) will resign from office on April 19, leaving House Republicans with a one-seat majority at least until June, when a special election will be held to fill Ohio's 6th Congressional District. (RELATED: House Ethics Committee Announces Probe Into Republican Congressman)
In the meantime, Bacon noted that “one or two people” were not team players in the House Republican Conference and could potentially work with Democrats to remove Johnson if he wasn't careful.
Welker began her question: “Let me ask you about the speaker of the House because you know that some Republicans oppose him putting a Ukraine aid bill on the floor. Do you think he could lose his speakership over this, congressman?”
“It's possible,” Bacon acknowledged. “I'm not going to deny it. We have one or two people that are not team. They're not team players. They, they rather enjoy the limelight, the social media. And the fact is, with a one-seat majority and we'll end up with a three or four-seat majority after some special elections…It's a very narrow majority. And one or two people can make us a minority. And I both of you, you work with a team. I don't have to get 100%, 80%, as the Ronald Reagan rule. But we have some people that if they don't get 100%, they want to bring the House down. And it makes us dysfunctional. And so that's a possibility. I do think there will be Democrats, though, who do not want to see this dysfunction, and I think they'll probably vote present or maybe not be there for a vote. But it is very likely that after this Ukraine bill, we may have a standoff with the speaker. I hope the speaker prevails. He's doing the right thing. It's in our national security interest that Ukraine remain independent.”
Earlier this month, Johnson informed GOP senators that the House would soon send them a bill to assist Ukraine. However, the speaker cautioned, the House's version would likely differ significantly from the Senate's $95 billion aid package that passed in February.
Johnson's commitment to passing Ukraine aid at the Senate Republican retreat reportedly followed pressure from outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to pass the Senate bill providing funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. (RELATED: Trump ‘Will Not Give One Penny To Ukraine' If He Wins: Report)
At the House Republican retreat, Johnson told reporters that no one in Washington wishes for Vladimir Putin to take over Ukraine.
The speaker added that he does not expect Putin to cease his aggression if he prevails there.
(H/T Mediaite)
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