White House withholds judgment on Emmer speakership nomination

The White House sidestepped questions about House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s (R-MN) speakership nomination despite his previous support of Ukraine funding.

“I’m just not going to speak to the process,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday. “I’m sure there’s more steps to go.”

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Jean-Pierre repeated that the White House and Democrats are willing to work with Republicans bipartisanly but that the House GOP conference has to “fix” its current predicament.

Mark Schiefelbein/AP

“There’s a lot of work to be done,” the press secretary said. “We think it’s important that House Republicans get their affairs in order so we can continue to deliver for the American people.”

“It is for them to decide who is going to be the House speaker, ‘them’ being House Republicans,” she added. “The president is doing his job as president and commander in chief.”

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Former President Donald Trump criticized Emmer on social media earlier Tuesday after the former chairman of House Republicans’ campaign arm won the nomination on the second ballot after both House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) withdrew their names from consideration. Emmer, a centrist Republican who has previously backed Ukraine funding, still does not have the votes he requires to become speaker.

“I have many wonderful friends wanting to be Speaker of the House, and some are truly great Warriors,” Trump said. “RINO Tom Emmer, who I do not know well, is not one of them. He never respected the Power of a Trump Endorsement, or the breadth and scope of MAGA”