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Does Mike Johnson Have a Clue?

Democrats aren’t the only ones accusing the newbie of waging “political games” with his too-clever-by-half proposal to offset Israel aid by gutting the I.R.S. “He may be playing with fire,” a Republican lobbyist told me. But others see a speaker willing to use the gavel more aggressively, and more creatively, than his predecessors.

Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Tina Nguyen
November 1, 2023

The House G.O.P. loves arguing over what to prioritize, but there’s one sacred obligation upon which they largely agree: supporting Israel with few preconditions. Of course, this has become a higher priority than ever, given that the nation is at war with Hamas and facing retaliation from other regional powers. Freshman speaker Mike Johnson is also, notably, an adherent of Christian fundamentalism—a political-religious faction that is traditionally (and eschatologically) concerned with Israel.