Not even two hours after Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in Utah, Speaker Mike Johnson sought to hold a moment of silence for the young conservative activist.
It lasted only a few seconds before the situation devolved into yelling and chaos, leaving Johnson banging his gavel as he tried to restore order in the House. Ever since, he’s been struggling to convince both sides of the chamber to keep partisan finger-pointing from spiraling out of control.
Over the past 24 hours, Johnson has been the most powerful elected Republican urging lawmakers and Americans generally to keep things from escalating both online and in person. The Louisianan’s approach is largely in keeping with the way previous speakers might have handled the traumatic situation, but it is out of step with a polarized political culture that has come to color most everything that happens on Capitol Hill.
“What I’m going to do is what I’ve always done,” Johnson told reporters later Thursday. “I’m always about turning down the temperature and encouraging members to walk in the dignity of their office and treat one another with dignity and respect. And I think it’s an important moment for leaders to say that.”
Johnson’s approach is informed in part by his role as nominal leader of the whole House, Republican and Democrat, and his responsibility for managing the security of its 435 members. On Thursday, he described a new burst of private concerns from lawmakers in both parties about their own safety, citing the skyrocketing tensions.
Just last week he noted an uptick in threats against members of Congress during an address to a meeting of G7 country legislative chiefs. On Thursday, Johnson indicated would expedite a review of enhanced funding for lawmakers’ security — a pilot program of money that’s set to expire at the end of the month. He also suggested to a small group of reporters that Republicans were considering boosting funding for member security in a government funding stopgap.
“People are scared to death in this building,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) said Thursday. “I mean, not many of them will say it publicly, but they’re running to the speaker talking about security.”
But inside the Republican caucus, he is dealing with more than requests for bodyguards and security cameras. He is dealing with the rage of his own members, some of whom were quick to point the finger at their Democratic colleagues Wednesday.
Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, during…
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