Speaker Mike Johnson Rejects Calls to Defund Special Counsel Jack Smith

The speaker is considering other ways of holding the special counsel accountable for his ‘lawfare’ against President Trump.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) speaks to members of the press after Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-Ga.) introduced a motion to vacate on the floor of the House of Representatives seeking to remove Johnson from his leadership position at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 8, 2024. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will not target defunding special counsel Jack Smith despite calls from within his conference to do so.

After soundly defeating an attempted ousting led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on May 8, the speaker told Politico’s “Playbook Deep Dive” podcast that he would not capitulate to the congresswoman’s demand that he defund the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.