May 9, 2024

Hakeem Jeffries Flexes Power as Mike Johnson Flounders

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries stepped in to save Speaker Mike Johnson this week after months of patiently taking the pulse of his conference. The question now is whether he would save the Republican chief again—and what he would demand in return.

The unprecedented rescue mission came as the 53-year-old New Yorker is fighting to wrest back control of the House from Republicans this fall and take the gavel for himself. On Wednesday, he sided with Johnson over Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R., Ga.) and her allies, who were angry over how the speaker teamed with Democrats to pass government spending bills and foreign aid to Ukraine.

 

The Wall Street Journal