Rep. Tim Burchett, Republican of Tennessee, has yet to make up his mind about who he’ll back for speaker when the 119th Congress convenes on Friday.
But he did have some kind words to say about current Speaker Mike Johnson, whose speakership might be in peril amid uproar from GOP hardliners who are angry at the Louisiana Republican for compromising with Democrats to keep the government funded.
“Mike’s been a good friend to me and there is nobody more honest that I have dealt with in Washington. He is a fine Christian man, not a religious man, he is a Christian man. He doesn’t cheat on his wife and I find that very appealing in Washington, D.C.,” he said on Fox News, admitting that he thinks Johnson will remain speaker.
Tim Burchett praises Mike Johnson for not cheating on his wife 🤔 pic.twitter.com/pDXpOcAGPG— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 30, 2024
Burchett’s comment appears to be a dig at former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who withdrew his name from the 2015 speaker race amid rumors that he was having an affair with a Republican congresswoman. Eventually becoming speaker in 2023, McCarthy was ousted just a few months into his term by eight Republicans, one being Burchett.
But Burchett’s comment is also ironic, as he continues to support serial adulterer Donald Trump, who has had three marriages and is accused of having affairs during all of them, including his current marriage to Melania Trump.
Trump allegedly had multiple affairs just a few months after Melania gave birth to their son Barron. Two of his affairs were with Playboy model Karen McDougal and porn actress Stormy Daniels—to whom Trump paid hush money during his 2016 campaign, leading to Trump’s conviction on 34 counts for falsifying business records to conceal payments to these women.
What’s more, Trump nominated multiple people to his upcoming administration who have admitted to having affairs.
Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, admitted that he had multiple affairs during his previous marriage. Hegseth’s own mother sent him an email slamming him for his adulterous behavior, writing that she had “no respect” for him because he “belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around, and uses women for his own power and ego.”
Similarly, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had dozens of affairs, which are chronicled in a diary.
As for Johnson, his Christian faith and lack of apparent affairs still might not be enough to save his speakership. As Axios reported, even though Trump endorsed Johnson’s speakership, the GOP hardliners are not swayed.
“I respect and support President Trump, but his endorsement of Mike Johnson is going to work out about as well as his endorsement of Speaker Paul Ryan,” Rep. Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, wrote on X. “We’ve seen Johnson partner with the democrats to send money to Ukraine, authorize spying on Americans, and blow the budget.”
As the future of Johnson’s speakership hangs in the balance, so, it would appear, does the GOP’s willingness to do anything for Trump.
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