New GOP speaker 'looks a lot like Jim Jordan’s revenge': legal expert

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) may have not been successful in his bid to become House speaker after the ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) but he is likely pleased that Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) succeeded where he failed, as all eyes now turn to the impact the new speaker will have on the 2024 presidential election.

According to a report from the Washington Post, the ascension of Johnson who was an avid advocate for overturning the 2020 presidential election in favor of Donald Trump has alarmed experts who fear a repeat of the chaos of the last presidential election, but this time with a speaker solidly in the camp of presumptive nominee Donald Trump.

Noting that, in 2020, Johnson spearheaded a plan that enlisted 125 fellow House Republicans to join him in signing a U.S. Supreme Court brief taking Trump's side, one law professor suggested Johnson is the closest thing to Jordan when it comes to being a disruptive force in the House despite being a relative unknown.

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According to Austin Sarat, a professor of law at Amherst College, "Johnson looks a lot like Jim Jordan’s revenge.”

Sarat added, "He is someone who is up to his neck in election denialism, and that does not bode well for what is likely to happen in the House.”

Genevieve Nadeau, a lawyer with non-partisan Protect Democracy, remarked, "Having somebody who took those steps in such a position of leadership going into yet another presidential election with quite likely the same people on the ballot is actually very troubling.”

As for the 2024 presidential election, with Johnson in power, the Post report notes, "A more alarming concern is whether Johnson would attempt to disrupt the proceedings in a more dramatic way — for instance, by preventing the session from happening altogether. Although the vice president presides over the occasion, it occurs in the House chamber — the domain of the speaker."

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