A room of House Republicans audibly “gasped” during a Tuesday confrontation between Reps. Rick Allen and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who had earlier won the House GOP’s nomination for Speaker.
A source familiar with the showdown confirmed the timeline of events to The Daily Beast, which was first reported by Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman.
The story goes that during the closed House GOP conference meeting on Tuesday, Allen confronted Emmer and said “that the Minnesota Republican didn’t need to get right with him, he needed to ‘get right with Jesus.’” According to the source, “the room gasped.”
Allen refused to support Emmer due to his stance on same-sex marriage, and told CNN earlier Tuesday he was “very concerned” about his support of a 2022 bill providing federal protections for same-sex couples. Allen said there was no way he would ever vote for him.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) echoed the comments on Fox News, claiming America “needs a Speaker of the House that reflects the values and the views of Republican voters in the country.” She highlighted Emmer’s support for LGBTQ+ rights and said she was “glad Tom has dropped out of the race.”
Emmer subsequently dropped out of the race after critics, including Allen and former president Donald Trump, spoke out.
House Republicans are now scrambling to figure out a way forward three weeks since ousting Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
Late Tuesday night the conference voted for a new Speaker designee—relatively little-known Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA)—though it remains unclear what his path to the gavel looks like, or how he will fare any better than his predecessors.
A full floor vote on Johnson’s bid is likely to happen as soon as Wednesday.
