Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) met with Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) on Wednesday, as tensions linger between the two lawmakers after the New York Republican withdrew her nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
The gathering — which Johnson confirmed to The Hill — came one day after the spat between the two Republicans entered the public eye, with Stefanik accusing Johnson of lying about alleged conversations they had regarding her potential run for governor or New York.
“It was great, really great meeting,” Johnson told The Hill. “She’s like a sister to me, and there was a lot of things being said that weren’t true of people about us and what was being said and we worked that out and I thought it was great.”
Stefanik declined to comment when asked about the huddle. Politico first reported the meeting.
The Stefanik-Johnson conflict drew headlines on Tuesday when the Speaker suggested he had spoken with the New York Republican about her interest in running for governor of the Empire State. Asked if he had spoken to Stefanik and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) — who is also eyeing a bid for New York governor — Johnson said he was “having conversations,” which some took as discussions with the two potential candidates.
Stefanik, however, quickly shot back, writing on X: “This is not true.”
“I have had no conversations with the Speaker regarding the Governor’s race,” she added.
Stefanik withdrew her nomination to be UN ambassador last month, a decision President Trump said was made so the New York Republican could remain in Congress and help pass his legislative agenda. House Republicans are grappling with a razor-thin majority.
The move came months after Stefanik was nominated to the post and, as a result, relinquished her leadership position. She had been chair of the House GOP conference, the No. 4 position in the group.
Since then, tensions have risen between Stefanik and Johnson. The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Stefanik blames Johnson for the withdrawal of her nomination. On a phone call between the two Republicans, Johnson said he had a lot of angry members to contend with, to which Stefanik responded, “I’m the angriest.”
Earlier this month, Johnson named her the chair of House Republican leadership.
NBC News reported earlier this month that Stefanik was assured that when she returned to the House, she would regain her seat on the House Intelligence Committee, one of the most high-profile panels in Congress that is equally split between the two parties. Stefanik, however, has not yet received the seat since it will require another GOP lawmaker to leave the panel.
Johnson told The Hill on Wednesday that he is still planning to put her back on the committee.
“I always committed to that,” Johnson said, “it’s just a complicated thing to do, but I told her I’m doing it as soon as possible.”
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