House speaker might refuse to certify the election results—again

House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to commit to accepting the results of the 2024 election regardless of its outcome. 

“Well, I hope so. That's the intention. I agree with the sentiment,” Johnson said on Tuesday after CNBC’s Eamon Javers’ quoted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s recent statement that “every American should accept the [election] results.”

“I mean, we absolutely have to make sure that it will be a free and fair election,” Johnson added. 

Pressed on whether that meant he would vote to certify President Joe Biden if he were to be declared the winner in November, Johnson said, “If it’s a fair election, yes, of course.”

Javers then reminded Johnson that “it is a near certainty that former President Trump, if defeated, will say again that there was some kind of fraud in this election.”

“Listen, we hope that it's a just and fair and free election. There's a lot of work being done across the country, in the various states to ensure that that's true. We hope there's not fraud. We hope there's not illegals voting and all the rest, and we're doing everything we can to make sure that happens,” Johnson said. “Look, we're the rule of law team. I mean, we believe in the rule of law.”