GOP turmoil could snarl Jan. 6 certification of Trump’s election: report

Story by Travis Gettys. December 24, 2024.

  • House Speaker Mike Johnson (T-LA) faces a leadership challenge due to disagreements over a recent government funding measure.
  • Some Republicans are urging President-elect Trump to publicly support Johnson to avoid a prolonged leadership battle.
  • Without a speaker, the House cannot certify the election results, which could delay the start of Trump’s presidency.
  • Democrats have stated they will not assist in resolving the Republican leadership issue.
  • The House is scheduled to vote on electing a speaker on January 3, just before the certification of the election results on January 6.

“If we have some kind of protracted fight where we can’t elect a speaker — the speaker’s not elected, we’re not sworn in, and if we’re not sworn in, we can’t certify the election.” – Rep. Carlos Gimenez (T-FL).

Rep. Pat Fallon (T-TX) suggested that Trump should invite Johnson to celebrate Christmas with him at Mar-a-Lago to affirm his support, and other GOP lawmakers agreed that replacing him as speaker could throw the start of Trump’s second term into chaos.

“To ensure President Trump can take office and hit the ground running on Jan. 20, we must be able to certify the 2024 election on Jan. 6. However, without a speaker, we cannot complete this process.” – Rep. Claudia Tenney (T-NY).

“There will be no Democrats available to save him or the extreme MAGA Republicans from themselves based on the breaching of a bipartisan agreement that reflected priorities that were good for the American people.” – Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Democratic minority leader.