Elise Stefanik unloads about Speaker Johnson’s GOP leadership, gets Trump to intervene on fixing ‘Comey loophole’
Rep. Elise Stefanik held up a major critique of House Speaker Mike Johnson, first airing her grievances in the public sphere and then touching base privately. After announcing her bid for New York governor, she had a heart‑to‑heart with Johnson on Tuesday evening—a conversation she describes as “great” and where she shared the growing frustration among Republican colleagues. “We’ve got to move forward and focus on delivering results for the American people,” Stefanik told the Post, underscoring that the defense bill should reflect that goal.
The flashpoint was a key provision she championed that would have alerted Congress to counter‑intelligence investigations of federal candidates. She had pushed to keep that language in a must‑pass defense authorization bill, but it was removed at the last minute. In a Monday floor session, Stefanik lashed out, touting her role as chairwoman of House Republican Leadership—an office created just for her—when she discovered the cut. The measure, intended to close what she calls the “Comey loophole,” draws on former FBI Director James Comey’s tenure while the bureau probed Trump’s 2016 campaign.
She sees this as the GOP’s singular chance to curb intelligence‑community overreach, arguing that “the issue was so important we’ve worked for nearly eight years on addressing this.” When pressed on why she bellowed at Johnson so sharply, she explained that the timing was critical: the House, the Senate, and the White House were all poised to act this year, and she didn’t want the opportunity to slip away. “I just wanted to make sure we got the language in, and we achieved that by doing this,” she added.
On Wednesday, after a follow‑up with Johnson and President Trump, Stefanik announced that her provision would be reinstated in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA). The NDAA/IAA is the framework Congress uses to set policy and approve funding for national‑security programs. Johnson, however, publicly denied knowledge of the initial removal. “I don’t exactly know why Elise won’t just call me. I texted her yesterday,” he said, “She’s upset one of her provisions is not being made into the NDAA, I think.” Reacting to that claim, Stefanik insisted her team’s “understanding and communication” with Johnson’s office confirmed Deputy Representative Jamie Raskin had opposed the provision and that it was scrubbed from the bill.
The debate over the provision intermeshes with a broader critique of Johnson’s leadership. Stefanik pointed out that Kevin McCarthy was known as a political veteran, whereas Johnson remains a relative novice—an observation she said illustrated the GOP’s underperformance, a first since the Trump era. She also highlighted concerns over Johnson’s handling of the recent government shutdown and a tighter‑than‑expected special election in Tennessee’s 7th congressional district, echoing similar complaints from fellow Republicans, including Representative Kevin Kiley (R‑California).
Stefanik’s open attacks are striking because of her rank in Republican leadership. She had previously served as House GOP Conference Chair, before relinquishing the role to Representative Lisa McClain after a brief nomination from President Trump to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations—a nomination Trump later pulled after realizing her departure might jeopardize the party’s slim majority.
The backlash extended beyond party lines. In August, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who plans to retire in January 2026, accused Stefanik of being “shafted” by Johnson in a radio rant. “I think there’s other women—Republican women—who are really sick and tired of them, and the one that really got shafted was Elise Stefanik,” Greene said to the Daily Mail. She blamed the White House, not Trump, for the snubs.
When Stefanik responded to Greene’s remarks, she pivoted to the larger campaign issue at hand. “My focus is on making sure we’re firing the worst governor in America,” she stressed. “Obviously, the House majority is extremely slim, and it’s crucial to hold that majority for the benefit of my constituents and the country.” She reiterated her commitment to keeping Congress productive and delivering tangible results for the voters who secured this very narrow majority. The Post reached out to Johnson’s office for further comment.
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