(Julianna Frieman, Headline USA) Rep. Thomas Massie, R- Ky., said Thursday that he would rather chop all of his fingers off than vote for another term of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La..
Johnson can only afford to lose one GOP vote, according to CNN, to remain in power over the 119th Congress, which begins on Friday.
President-elect Donald Trump endorsed Johnson on Monday and has reportedly been personally involved in lobbying Johnson critics, including Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., in an effort to assure a smooth transition of power and prevent Democrats from trying to derail the upcoming certification of the Electoral College votes.
But that did not stop Massie, a staunchly libertarian budget hawk and Ukraine war opponent, from taking a hardline stance against the Republican leader from Louisiana.
On the debut episode of former congressman Matt Gaetz’s primetime One America News Network show, Massie told his former colleague that he would not vote for Johnson under any circumstance.
“If Chip Roy were asked to serve as chairman of the Rules Committee, would that be enough to get your vote for Mike Johnson?” Gaetz asked.
Massie responded with a colorful rejection of the idea, suggesting that even torture could not coerce him.
“Oh, no. You could pull all my fingernails out, you can shove bamboo up in them,” he said. “You can start cutting off my fingers. I am not voting for Mike Johnson tomorrow, and you can take that to the bank.”
Massie made clear his staunch opposition to Johnson’s reelection all week leading up to Friday’s vote.
The Kentucky congressman hit back at former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who called him a “contrarian” for going against Trump’s pick.
Challenge accepted.
First let me note that the “vote for Mike” camp is not trying to make the case that Mike Johnson is endowed with the qualities necessary to lead our conference. Even you have limited yourself here to procedural justifications for his speakership rather than…
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 31, 2024
“Even if Mike’s entire goal is to do everything Trump wants without debate or question (which I would argue is not healthy for the institution of Congress), he’s not going to be good at it,” Massie posted to X on Tuesday afternoon as part of a multi-paragraph explanation of his anti-Johnson stance.
“He already demonstrated this month that he won’t tell the President what is achievable and what is not achievable in the House, and he lacks the situational awareness himself to know what can pass and what cannot,” Massie added, in reference to Johnson’s near- capitulation to Democrats on a continuing resolution to fund the government.
An effort by Trump to push for a two-year expansion of the debt ceiling, which would allow him to act on his ambitious agenda without seeking congressional approval, failed in the House, with several Republicans joining Democrats to defeat it.
After Trump endorsed Johnson, Massie said the president-elect’s “endorsement of Mike Johnson is going to work out as well as his endorsement of Paul Ryan.”
Ryan, the RINO ex-lawmaker who led the House at the start of Trump’s first presidential term, ultimately became a staunch NeverTrumper before retiring and ceding the House to Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., during the 2018 midterm election.
I respect and support President Trump, but his endorsement of Mike Johnson is going to work out about as well as his endorsement of Speaker Paul Ryan. We’ve seen Johnson partner with the democrats to send money to Ukraine, authorize spying on Americans, and blow the budget. pic.twitter.com/6Y7GAkcBzJ
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) December 30, 2024
“We’ve seen Johnson’s partner with the democrats to send money to Ukraine, authorize spying on Americans, and blow the budget,” Massie wrote on Monday.
Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer published by the Daily Caller, Headline USA, The Federalist, and The American Spectator. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.
