Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) said Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and “seven useful idiots” are responsible for the House's turmoil. He believes their success in removing former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) last fall has caused problems for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
Lawler criticized members of his own party for weakening Johnson’s negotiation powers in the battle over aid to Ukraine and Israel, which is moving through the House this week over the objections of some conservatives.
Lawler told Anderson Cooper that some of his fellow party members are the reason why Speaker Johnson’s hand in negotiations has been weakened. He blames their actions for this.
He stated, “In October, the House was thrown into chaos by Matt Gaetz and seven useful idiots that teamed up with him within the Republican Conference and 208 Democrats.”
He also mentioned the aftermath of vacating the chair and the terrorist attack on Israel a week later, stating that doing that again would be harmful to the country and global security.
The House is preparing for a Saturday vote on a complex plan to advance a foreign aid package including dollars for Ukraine and Israel.
Republicans opposing the plan have expressed frustration, and two GOP lawmakers, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (La.) and Thomas Massie (Ky.), have said they’d back a motion to oust Johnson. The two have not been willing to trigger that motion so far.
McCarthy was removed from his speakership last fall when Gaetz and seven other House GOP members voted with Democrats to remove the California Republican from his gavel, causing chaos for three weeks.
Lawler is confident that foreign aid legislation will pass the House despite the threats against Johnson.
“The foreign aid bill will pass,” Lawler told Cooper.
He added, “It must pass. The United States has a duty as leader of the free world to support our allies at this crucial time and to show our adversaries that we will not tolerate their actions and what they have done to undermine and destabilize the free world.”
The House Rules Committee late Thursday advanced a package of foreign aid bills, with the help of Democrats, which is unusual. Three GOP members of the panel, Massie and Reps. Chip Roy (Texas) and Ralph Norman (S.C.) opposed the effort.
It's unusual for members of a party to oppose a rule advanced by their own leadership.
