From Fox News: Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., accused House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., of siding with Democrats over Republicans in a heated public statement on Tuesday.
Stefanik, whom Johnson appointed as chairwoman of House GOP leadership earlier this year, claimed Johnson was blocking a provision in the annual defense policy bill that would allow Republicans to get revenge for being targeted in alleged instances of government weaponization.
Johnson called Stefanik’s accusations “false” in comments to reporters on Tuesday morning and said he would support such a measure.
It’s an explosive rift within the highest ranks of the House Republican Conference while the GOP wrestles with a razor-thin majority in the lower chamber.
In a fiery post on X Monday afternoon, Stefanik announced:
Republicans have the House, Senate, and the White House, yet the deep state is alive and well with the Speaker getting rolled by House Dems attempting to block my provision to require Congressional disclosure when the FBI opens counterintelligence investigations into presidential and federal candidates seeking office.
In a March 2017 open hearing, my questions to former FBI Director James Comey began the unraveling of the Russia Hoax when Comey admitted to not following proper notification procedures with his illegal opening of Crossfire Hurricane. A criminal act that can never happen again.
My provision will strengthen this accountability and transparency to deter this illegal weaponization and it passed out of the House Intelligence Committee in this Congress and previous ones. Yet House Republicans continue to get rolled by the deep state due to opposition by Jamie Raskin. If Republicans can’t deliver accountability and legislative fixes to arguably the biggest illegal corruption and government weaponization issue of all time, then what are we even doing. This language is even more essential in light of the continued weaponization of the federal government evidenced by the sweeping Arctic Frost wiretapping scandal and the recent illegal leaks of Steve Witkoff’s conversations with foreign counterparts.
Unless this provision is added back into the bill to prevent illegal political weaponization of the intelligence community in our elections, I am a HARD NO. I have always voted in support of the defense and intelligence authorization bills, but no more.
It is a scandalous disgrace that Republicans are allowing themselves to be rolled by the Dems and deep state on this.
In an update Tuesday morning, Stefanik added:
I just walked out of a briefing on this issue this morning CONFIRMING everything I posted yesterday. That yes, in fact, the Speaker is blocking my provision to root out the illegal weaponization that led to Crossfire Hurricane, Arctic Frost, and more. He is siding with Jamie Raskin against Trump Republicans to block this provision to protect the deep state.
This is an easy one. This bill is DOA unless this provision gets added in as it was passed out of committee.
I just walked out of a briefing on this issue this morning CONFIRMING everything I posted yesterday.
That yes, in fact, the Speaker is blocking my provision to root out the illegal weaponization that led to Crossfire Hurricane, Arctic Frost, and more. He is siding with Jamie… https://t.co/6fVow5ALFV
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) December 2, 2025
Johnson responded to Stefanik’s comments, saying in a statement to reporters, “All of that is false. I don’t exactly know why Elise won’t just call me. I texted her yesterday. She’s upset one of her provisions is not being made, I think, into the NDAA…. As soon as I heard this yesterday, I was campaigning in Tennessee, and I wrote her and said, What are you talking about? This hasn’t even made it to my level.”
JOHNSON on Stefanik:
“All of that is false. I don’t exactly know why Elise won’t just call me. I texted her yesterday. She’s upset one of her provisions is not being made, I think, into the NDAA…. As soon as I heard this yesterday, I was campaigning in Tennessee, and I wrote… https://t.co/EfvRoarJ4o
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) December 2, 2025
Stefanik fired back in a scathing rebuttal:
Just more lies from the Speaker. And in true to form, the Speaker texted me yesterday claiming he “knew nothing about it.” Yeah right. This is his preferred tactic to tell Members when he gets caught torpedoing the Republican agenda.
It wasn’t on your radar? This is the ONLY provision in the bill to root out the deep state rot. This is not regular order. Regular order is a Members’ provision that passed out of committee should be heard on the floor and not struck down by a Democrat minority member in a closed door meeting.
My provision passed out of the House Intelligence Committee which is the committee of jurisdiction. You torpedoed this siding with Jamie Raskin. You said you would fix it, so fix it.
Just more lies from the Speaker.
And in true to form, the Speaker texted me yesterday claiming he “knew nothing about it.” Yeah right. This is his preferred tactic to tell Members when he gets caught torpedoing the Republican agenda.
It wasn’t on your radar? This is the ONLY… https://t.co/AKxC6CU8ma
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) December 2, 2025
🚨 Elise Stefanik GOES OFF on Mike Johnson following his response to a question from @AndiNapier this morning about Stefanik’s accusation that the Speaker is ‘protecting the deep state.’ https://t.co/24H2cPmxab pic.twitter.com/ggbJY7XtgS
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) December 2, 2025
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