Johnson squeaks through Speaker vote after Trump intervenes – National & International News – FRI 3Jan2025

Johnson squeaks through Speaker vote after Trump intervenes.

Judge orders Trump sentenced in hush money case, but rules out jail time.

Johnson squeaks through Speaker vote after Trump intervenes 

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson narrowly won reelection today with 218 votes. He managed to do it in just one ballot after President-elect Trump reportedly intervened via speaker phone. As voting got underway, Johnson was two votes shy of the majority he needed. Rep. Thomas Massie (KY) had already said publicly he would not back Johnson. Then there were two more Republican defections, one from Rep. Ralph Norman (NC) and another from Rep. Keith Self (TX). 

Before voting was officially closed, Johnson briefly left the floor with Norman and Self in tow. A short time later, Johnson, Norman and Self returned. It was apparently during this time that Trump spoke to Norman and Self. Trump had already endorsed Johnson earlier this week for Speaker and did not want the embarrassment of his pick losing in the first round of voting. When Johnson, Norman, and Self returned to the chamber, Norman and Self were able to change their votes.

Another handful of members of the Freedom Caucus, who had initially delayed casting votes during the roll call, also got behind Johnson. Several hardline conservatives have voiced dissatisfaction with Johnson’s record as Speaker, especially his occasional reliance on Democratic votes to get important bills through. While Johnson was able to fend off a defeat today, detentions today show that the House Republican caucus remains fractious. This may make it difficult for Republicans to govern despite controlling the White House, Senate, and House.

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Judge orders Trump sentenced in hush money case, but rules out prison time 

Justice Juan Merchan, who presided over the Stormy Daniels hush money case against in New York, has ordered Trump to be sentenced before his inauguration. Trump was convicted of over 30 counts of falsifying business records in the case in the summer of 2024. 

Trump could have faced up to 4 years in prison. However, it was always unlikely that, as a first time convict, Trump would face a custodial sentence in the case. Justice Merchan confirm today that he will not be imposing a prison sentence on Trump. 

Merchan rejected a motion from Trump’s lawyers to have the conviction vacated in light of his forthcoming return to the White House. He also called out “rhetoric” from Trump’s attorneys after his election victory that came “dangerously close to crossing the line”. Merchan wrote in his decision that “Counsel has resorted to language, indeed rhetoric, that has no place in legal pleadings. For example, countless times in their motion to dismiss, counsel accuses the prosecution and this court of engaging in ‘unlawful’ and ‘unconstitutional’ conduct”. 

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