Tensions arise over Speaker Mike Johnson's efforts to bring Rep. Elise Stefanik back into the fold
After Trump pulled Stefanik’s nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Johnson faces a conundrum on how to place her on a key committee.
WASHINGTON — When President Donald Trump withdrew Rep. Elise Stefanik’s nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, she was given private assurances that she would not only rejoin the House GOP leadership team, but also reclaim her coveted spot on the House Intelligence Committee, according to two Republican sources with knowledge of the deliberations.
Two weeks later, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is still scrambling to figure out how to deliver on the promise to place her back on the committee, even after the move was announced publicly Wednesday.
The conundrum for Johnson is that he has to either remove a Republican who currently sits on the high-profile Intelligence Committee, which could cause strife among existing members, or be forced to change House rules to add a member. House rules dictate that the committee may be made up of no more than 25 members with a maximum of 14 from one party, which is how many Republicans are currently on the panel.
Adding a member would increase the size of the committee, which some members have already complained is too bloated. It could also force Johnson to allow House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., to add another Democrat.
In a statement to NBC News, Johnson’s office said the speaker and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford, R-Ark., are committed to finding a solution to accommodate Stefanik in the coming weeks.
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