Republicans embarrassing defeats on the House floor this week were so painful it had at least one unlikely Republican member heaping praises on former Democratic speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA.) over her ability to count votes.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus told CNN that “as bad as Pelosi was, she knew her votes before they took place.”
Norman’s praise of Pelosi was a shot at current Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), after House Republicans suffered two stunning defeats back-to-back on Tuesday.
House Republicans failed to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and failed to pass a standalone $17 billion Israel aid package.
Amid questions about this ability to lead the conference, rookie speaker Johnson told reporters that the failures were not his fault.
“It was a mess what happened here but we’re cleaning it up,” Johnson said. “I don’t take this as a reflection on the leader. It’s a reflection on the body itself and the place where we come in this country.”
Johnson vowed to revive the effort to impeach Mayorkas when Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), who is out undergoing treatment for blood cancer, returns.
