Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, R-N.Y., told Newsmax on Monday that he hopes cooler heads will prevail when it comes to ousting House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., from the lower chamber.
"Mike Johnson has done a tremendous job with the situation that he has," D'Esposito said during an appearance on Newsmax's "Wake Up America."
"Obviously Republicans do have a razor-thin majority, but even if we had a few more individuals in our conference, he faces a very tough day at work every time he wakes up," he continued. "I mean, it's very hard to make everyone happy and he's doing the best that he can.
"Like he said last week, he's doing what he thinks is best right now for the right reasons, and I think that's exactly what he did. I would really hope that members, especially of the Republican Conference, realize that the goal right now is to make sure that we maintain our majority come November, as well as elect Donald Trump president of the United States, and the only way to do that is to stay unified as a party."
Unhappy with Johnson's support of a $1.2 trillion spending bill, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., filed a motion to vacate in March, which Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has indicated he would support.
When asked about Greene and Massie, as well as Reps. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., and perhaps Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., who have been floated as potential supporters of Greene's motion, D'Esposito said, "Those were the names that we heard when we were flying out of D.C. on Saturday evening."
"I would hope that this week off gives some of my colleagues the opportunity to decompress, to realize … what the big picture is," he said. "The big picture is to be making sure that we have huge Republican wins all across this country in November, making sure that we not only maintain the majority, but grow our majority, hopefully get a majority in the Senate and elect Donald Trump president and the only way to do that is to stay unified.
"Republicans right now, Democrats right now, and more importantly, Americans should not see another speaker be vacated."
D'Esposito said that, while he wasn't entirely satisfied with the foreign aid legislation that was voted on Saturday, he thinks it amounted to a "best case scenario" of what the House GOP was likely to get.
"Listen, the bills that were put on the floor on Saturday came after a culmination of a lot of hard work and, quite frankly, a lot of guts and courage from Speaker Johnson," he said. "While the package didn't have everything that I would have wanted in it, I think it was the best case scenario and the best way for America to support our allies.
"I think last Saturday showed a clear indicator that Israel is threatened by Iran and this was our opportunity to put forth some solid bills. Again, not everything that we all wanted and obviously there were some discrepancies and negotiations that had to go on, but I do believe that it was the best interest for this country and our allies."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE – See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com
Nicole Wells ✉
Nicole Wells, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.