In a show of support, Trump, the likely Republican nominee for president, expressed his confidence in Johnson’s performance as he faces challenging circumstances. This endorsement comes at a crucial time for Johnson, who is currently facing a potential challenge to his speakership from Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. While Trump acknowledged his good relationship with Greene, he emphasized the importance of avoiding another prolonged struggle for the speaker’s position within the House Republican party.
Tying the two issues together, he mentioned the significant increase in migrants entering the U.S. in recent years.
According to Johnson, the House Republicans are putting forth a bill that aims to mandate proof of citizenship for voting. He believes that this requirement is a matter of common sense, as it ensures that only U.S. citizens participate in U.S. elections. Johnson expresses concern about the large number of undocumented immigrants in the country, stating that even if only a fraction of them were to vote, it could potentially result in hundreds of thousands of votes in an election.
Non-citizens have been prohibited from voting in federal elections for many years. According to data from the Heritage Foundation, a conservative organization aligned with Trump, there have been only 25 instances of non-citizens attempting to vote in federal elections within the past two decades.
The Democratic-controlled Senate poses an insurmountable obstacle for the bill, making its passing highly unlikely. Johnson himself concedes that the legislation aims to address a problem that is non-existent, emphasizing the urgency to act before any widespread fraud occurs. It is worth noting that Trump persistently makes baseless claims that he lost the 2020 election as a result of voter fraud.
In a statement issued on Friday evening, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized today’s press conference, claiming that its purpose is to create more confusion and mistrust in our elections. He pointed out that even the conservative CATO institute has stated that noncitizens do not vote in federal or state elections. Schumer further highlighted that the real threat to our democracy lies with Donald Trump, his promotion of the “big lie,” and those who exploit it for partisan gain.
In Washington, Greene is now threatening to push for a vote to remove Johnson from office due to concerns over government spending and possible aid to Ukraine. However, it’s worth noting that no other House Republicans have joined her in this effort. It’s important to highlight that under the rules, a single member can initiate such a vote to remove a speaker, a provision that former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy accepted during his brief tenure.
Johnson has faced challenges in bringing together his divided Republican conference since taking over from McCarthy last year. In a recent incident, a faction of conservatives once again rebelled, causing a bill to renew the government’s surveillance powers to be blocked. Eventually, a shorter-term version of the bill was successfully passed on Friday.
In anticipation of Johnson’s visit to Mar-a-Lago, the Biden campaign issued a statement from Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chair of the House committee that conducted the investigation into the Capitol attack on January 6. Thompson labeled Trump as “a peril to our democracy and a risk to our Constitution.”
According to Thompson, Donald Trump and Mike Johnson are not concerned about election integrity. Instead, they prioritize supporting Trump’s campaign for revenge and retribution, with the sole aim of regaining power, regardless of the consequences.
Marjorie Taylor Greene reiterated her intention to push for a vote on Johnson’s removal earlier this week, but she has not specified a timeframe for taking action. It is worth noting that Greene’s threats coincide with increasing pressure on Johnson to hold a vote on providing additional aid to Ukraine, a stance strongly opposed by Greene.
