WASHINGTON ― Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) accused House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) of lying Tuesday about why a priority of hers was left out of a defense policy bill.
It started Monday with Stefanik complaining on social media “the deep state” was blocking her proposal to require the Justice Department to notify Congress of investigations into presidential candidates.
Johnson said Tuesday it wasn’t true. “I don’t exactly know why Elise won’t just call me,” he told reporters at a press conference, adding that the question of whether to include the provision in a defense bill hadn’t even been brought to his attention.
“Just more lies from the Speaker,” Stefanik wrote Tuesday. “It wasn’t on your radar? This is the ONLY provision in the bill to root out the deep state rot.”
It’s a striking rebuke from a top House Republican ― one who was a member of Johnson’s leadership team until Trump nominated her to be ambassador to the United Nations last year. Stefanik withdrew from leadership only for Trump to withdraw her nomination this year over concerns about Republicans’ tiny House majority.
