Washington – When President Donald Trump withdrew the appointment of representative Elise Stefanik to be an American ambassador to the United Nations, she received private insurance that she would join not only the GOP management team of the Chamber, but also to recover her coveted spot with the House intelligence committee, according to two republican sources with deliberations.
Two weeks later, President Mike Johnson, R-La., Still breath to understand how to keep the promise to give it to the committee, even after the announcement of the decision publicly on Wednesday.
The enigma for Johnson is that he must either withdraw a republican who currently sits on the high -level intelligence committee, which could cause conflicts among the existing members, or be forced to change the rules of the chamber to add a member. The rules of the Chamber dictate that the Committee can be made up of 25 members at most with a maximum of 14 of a party, namely the number of republicans currently on the panel.
The addition of a member would increase the size of the committee, some of which have already complained are too inflated. This could also force Johnson to allow the leader of the minority of Hakeem Jeffries, Dn.y., to add another Democrat.
In a statement at NBC News, Johnson’s office said that the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rick Crawford, R-Ark., Are determined to find a solution to welcome Stefanik in the coming weeks.
“The president will work with President Crawford and the HPSCI members for representative Stefanik to be reinstated in the intelligence committee in the coming weeks,” said a spokesperson for Johnson. “They both look forward to recovering their expertise on the committee.”
Stefanik’s office did not respond to a request for comments.
The delicate situation has created tensions between Johnson and Stefanik, on the influential panel and in the wider GOP conference. Adding to the drama, three Republicans of the senior room say that Stefanik has publicly announced his new leadership arrangement before a key budgetary vote in the Chamber for which his support was sorely necessary.
Johnson has not yet reported his intentions to the members of the Intelligence Committee, leaving several worried if their places could be on blocking.
In private conversations that chop Stefanik’s new arrangement, a source familiar with the discussion said that Johnson has launched several Republicans whom he could ask to resign. They include the Pat Fallon representative of Texas, who is the most junior republican in the panel; Representative Claudia Tenney, who, like Stefanik, is from New York; And the French representative of Arkansas, who chairs the powerful committee of financial services. Johnson appointed Fallon and Tenney at the Panel on January 16.
But despite Johnson’s initial suggestions, no decision was made and no member was approached to find out if they would be willing to give up their places, according to several GOP sources.
“I think it’s a fluid process,” said a republican of the room who knows discussions on the panel. “I think they are trying to see if they put someone to make them room or if they add two – add a democrat and a republican.”
The legislator opposed more members, saying that the intelligence committee had already been “extended twice in the past two years”.
Johnson must be cautious, because his choices passed for the Intelligence Committee, which monitors the office of the National Director of Intelligence and the CIA, landed in hot water with certain members of the conference.
Johnson upset the moderates during the last congress when he passed more pragmatic members, such as Stephanie Bice, R-Okla.; Zach Nunn, R-Iowa; And Laurel Lee, r-Fla., And rather appointed two brands of controversial fire, Scott Perry, R-P-P., And Ronny Jackson, R-Texas. And this year Johnson launched the former president of the panel, Mike Turner, R-Ohio, who was not very appreciated in Trump’s orbit this year.
Stefanik’s role collided with the key budgetary vote
Consternation on how to welcome Stefanik is only an example of the disturbance that Trump caused by the shooting of his appointment. And this is a situation that she can use to her advantage, affirming her close relationship with Trump and the fact that her vote is crucial for the Republicans in the closely divided house.
On Wednesday, the leaders of the Chamber were preparing to take a procedural stage towards the adoption of a budgetary resolution to advance the legislative program of Trump. At that time, Johnson had not yet announced the new role of Stefanik, even if there were backplugs.
Stefanik, who had not voted in the House since Trump withdrew his appointment on March 27, invited the White House to the situation when the officials call to whisk budgetary votes, according to two families with the situation. Under the pressure of Stefanik, Johnson decided from Greenlight a public announcement on his new arrangement, the sources said.
Stefanik then presented himself at the Capitol for the voting of key procedure, but she retained her vote until the very last second, which makes her decisive by putting the measure on the finish line. Whether intentional or not, the maneuver was an undoubted reminder to Stefanik colleagues that they needed his vote, which is why Trump asked him to stay at the Congress.
A few moments after the vote, Stefanik – who renounced her post as president of the GOP conference when she was nominated for the embassy – publicly announced her new role: president of the Republican Directorate of the Chamber, an article that will come with staff and additional resources. Stefanik also announced that she would return to her posts on intelligence, education and work and armed services committees. Stefanik and Johnson then published a joint release on the short stories 2 and a half hours later.
Some major Republicans, including other members of the Johnson management team, said they had been caught by the announcement. Stefanik’s allies, however, note that Trump clearly said he wanted her to have a plum landing point as quickly as possible and said she was only the ultimate team player throughout the saga.
There is still a question of what type of role of leadership, if necessary, Stefanik would assume the intelligence committee. During the last congress, she had been one of her most senior members. If she had not been exploited for the United Nations post, she was in the running to lead the panel after Johnson spoke of Turner. Johnson named Crawford as a new president and made the representative Trent Kelly, R-Miss., The vice-president.
But Stefanik would have more seniority on the panel than Kelly, “which would make his vice-president, technically,” said the legislator of the familiar chamber with the deliberations on the panel. And the Gavels subcommittee has already been awarded for the 119th congress, said the person.
