White smoke in the United States Congress: Republican Mike Johnson, a fervent supporter of former president Donald Trump, was elected speaker of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, ending three chaotic weeks of stagnation.
This 51-year-old lawyer and great defender of values “traditional,” which supported legal attempts to alter the results of the 2020 presidential election in favor of Trump, garnered 220 votes.
His election was greeted with cheers and a standing ovation from his party members, visibly relieved to see a way out of the crisis.
After the vote Johnson transmitted “a message to the rest of the world“, that “watched this psychodrama” for weeks: “adversity makes you stronger”.
And to his country: “I think all the American people at one time were very proud of this institution, but now, that is in danger. And we have a challenge before us right now to rebuild and restore that trust“, said.
The new leader of the chamber, of evangelical confession, has difficult tasks ahead of him.
President Joe Biden reminded him by urging him to vote “quickly” aid funds to Israel and Ukraine, respectively at war against the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and Russia, and to work to avoid a “closing“, that is, a paralysis of the federal administration that could occur in mid-November if a budget is not approved.
But he will have to deal with his highly divided colleagues in responding to Biden’s request for funds.
He promised, yes, that his first bill “It will be in support of our dear, dear friend Israel“, which is the “America’s greatest ally in the Middle East” and “is under attack”.
His election is the latest chapter in a political soap opera that revealed the internal struggles between moderate Republicans and Trumpists.
In fact, he is the fourth nominee by the party in 21 days to replace Kevin McCarthy, dismissed in a historic vote by a group of Trumpists.
The exasperation of Republicans, eager to end a crisis that embarrassed many of them, worked in their favor.
Rise of Trumpists
Johnson had the support of Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, who tried in vain before him to get the job.
And especially Trump’s. “I haven’t heard a single negative comment about him. Everyone likes him, he is respected by everyone…someone who is going to be truly spectacular and perhaps for many years to come.”he said of him before the vote.
He also had the support of Matt Gaetz, the Trumpist who promoted the fall of the previous president of the house: Kevin McCarthy.
Gaetz considered that the change from McCarthy to Johnson “is a sign” of the rise of Trumpists within the party.
A trend that has not escaped the Democrats. For Congressman Pete Aguilar it all comes down to “who can appease Donald Trump”.
Johnson entered the House of Representatives in 2017 after generating controversy with legislation considered hostile to LGBT people in Louisiana.
Last year, the father of four voted against codifying federal protections for same-sex marriage.
And he led more than 100 Republicans who signed a legal brief in favor of a lawsuit to overturn the results of the 2020 elections in four states that Biden won.
ABC News asked him on Tuesday night about this complaint on which the Supreme Court refused to rule, but he limited himself to answering “next question”, while her colleagues booed the journalist.
Source: Gestion
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