Republicans Seethe at Johnson’s ‘Feckless Leadership’

Rachel Bade: “In the past 24 hours, as a controversy has erupted over an alleged affair Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) had with a staffer who later died by suicide, more GOP lawmakers are calling for the Texas Republican to go.”

“But behind closed doors, some Republicans are just as furious at another GOP colleague: Speaker Mike Johnson — for what they deem his bungled handling of this entire situation. One even told me it was ‘feckless leadership.'”

Said one GOP lawmaker: “It’s very clear a decision was made that they wanted this to go away and brushed it under the rug because of the House GOP’s slim margin.”

“Now, Johnson has subjected his conference to a barrage of questions about whether Gonzales should resign or end his re-election effort. Democrats could even try to force censure votes or other privileged action against Gonzales, putting GOP lawmakers in a bind on how to vote.”