House Speaker Mike Johnson risks job to deliver aid to Ukraine

WASHINGTON (AP) — Staring down a call so consequential it might alter the course of historical past — but in addition finish his personal profession — Home Speaker Mike Johnson prayed for steering.

A conservative Christian, the speaker wrestled over whether or not to guide the Home in approving $95 billion in desperately wanted war-time help for Ukraine, Israel and different U.S. allies, which many in his personal Republican majority opposed — some so strongly they’d attempt to boot him from workplace.

Or, he might do nothing, halting the stream of U.S. help and probably saving his personal job however making certain his place because the Home speaker who led America’s retreat from the worldwide stage and left Ukraine to fend for itself because it loses floor in opposition to the Russian invasion.

As Johnson met with colleagues late into the evening this week on the speaker’s workplace, they prayed on it.

“After which he instructed me the following day: I wish to be on the proper aspect of historical past,” mentioned Rep. Michael McCaul, the chairman of the Overseas Affairs Committee.

Not fairly six months on the job, Johnson’s management will assist decide if the U.S. is ready to maintain its standing as what the speaker has referred to as a “beacon of sunshine” for the world, or if the navy and humanitarian help is left to crumble at a pivotal second for the nation, its allies and the speaker’s personal livelihood. Voting is anticipated this weekend.

“He’s studying,” mentioned Newt Gingrich, the previous Republican Home speaker.

Gingrich praised Johnson for not being cowed by the hard-right Republicans in search of to take away him from workplace, and as an alternative reaching into his personal deep nicely of beliefs as a Ronald Reagan-era Republican with an expansive view of the function of U.S., its allies and his personal speakership to decide.

“That is the U.S. Home. This isn’t a political playground,” Gingrich mentioned. “We’re speaking about actual historical past, we’re speaking about whether or not Russia probably occupies Ukraine.”

Johnson tumbled into the speaker’s workplace final fall, a relative unknown who emerged solely after a chaotic inside occasion search to exchange Kevin McCarthy, who was the primary speaker in U.S. historical past to he booted from workplace.

Virtually an unintended speaker, Johnson had no coaching and little time to arrange. Considered one of his principal accomplishments was serving to to guide Donald Trump’s failed authorized efforts to overturn the 2020 election loss to Joe Biden within the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol.

From the beginning, the query hanging over the fourth-term Louisiana lawmaker was obvious: Would Johnson develop into a speaker with a agency grasp of the gavel, using the facility of the workplace that’s second within the line of succession to the president?

Or would the Home speaker, who portrays himself as a “servant chief” within the Christian custom, be beholden to the unruly, primarily ungovernable Republican majority, many aligned with former President Trump.

“This can be a Churchill or Chamberlain second,” mentioned Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic chief, referring to British leaders from the World Warfare II period.

After months of dithering delays over the Ukraine help, Johnson appeared this week decided to maneuver previous the populist far-right flank, and depend on Democrats to push the bundle ahead, extremely uncommon within the deeply polarized Home.

He had met not too long ago with Trump, who objects to a lot abroad help and has invited Russia to “do regardless of the hell they need” in Ukraine, presenting his plan and avoiding public criticism from the previous president.

Trump additionally gave Johnson a wanted nod of help by panning the hassle from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of many presidential hopeful’s strongest allies in Congress, to evict the speaker.

In return, Johnson instructed Trump he might be the “most consequential president but” if he’s returned to the White Home.

On the similar time, Johnson has been talking privately with President Biden, who gave Johnson a lift by rapidly endorsing his international help plan.

Nonetheless, what was thought-about the best way Congress labored, the shared dedication to bipartisan compromise, has develop into such a political legal responsibility that extra Republicans, together with Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Paul Gosar of Arizona, mentioned they’d be part of Greene’s effort to oust Johnson. Some others mentioned he ought to merely resign.

“I don’t suppose he’s being brave. I feel he’s fallen proper in step with the swamp,” mentioned Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., a hardliner who voted to oust McCarthy and is contemplating the identical for Johnson.

Throughout his quick time period as speaker, Johnson has made a follow of convening lawmakers behind closed doorways at his Capitol workplace for what are sometimes lengthy conferences. What some view as maddening classes of infinite arguing, shrinking the facility of the speakership, others recognize as him listening to lawmakers.

As crowds of spring vacationers ushered previous his workplace this week, Johnson holed up with lawmakers. One assembly dragged till midnight. The subsequent day he displayed an uncommon resolve.

“Historical past judges us for what we do,” Johnson mentioned throughout an impromptu press convention in Statuary Corridor.

“I might make a egocentric resolution and do one thing that’s totally different, however I’m doing right here what I consider to be the proper factor,” he mentioned.

Johnson disclosed that his son is headed to the Naval Academy this fall.

“To place it bluntly, I’d quite ship bullets to Ukraine than American boys,” he mentioned.

“This can be a live-fire train for me, as it’s so many American households. This isn’t a sport. This isn’t a joke.”

With the specter of his removing intensifying, Johnson mentioned he would “let the chips fall the place they could” on his personal job.

On Friday, an amazing majority of the Home, greater than 300 lawmakers, extra Democrats than Republicans, voted to push the bundle towards passage.

Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., mentioned of Johnson: “I, for one, am simply very happy with what we’d all check with as a profile in braveness within the face of those sorts of threats.”

However Democrats mentioned they have been baffled and saddened it took Johnson so lengthy to do what they see as the proper factor.

“This can be a profile in delay,” mentioned Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.

Some Democrats are saying that, in contrast to their refusal to assist McCarthy keep in workplace, they’d vote to save lots of Johnson’s job — if he needs it.

A rising record of Republican Home audio system, beginning with Gingrich, have been chased from workplace or, like John Boehner and Paul Ryan, merely exited early.

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Related Press author Kevin Freking contributed to this report.