Speaker Mike Johnson’s top policy chief, Dan Ziegler, is under fire for his past work as a lobbyist for firms with stakes in the Ukraine conflict. Ziegler represented companies like Amgen and Eli Lilly & Co. that have publicly supported Ukrainian aid.
This connection is crucial as Speaker Johnson has been pushing the House to approve more aid to Ukraine and has angered America First conservatives who want to prioritize border security at home. Ziegler’s former client, Bloom Energy Corp., provides services to Lockheed Martin suggesting potential conflicts given the arms supplier’s interest in continued U.S. military support to Ukraine.
RINO: House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) Director of House Operations Hannah Fraher had a Never Trump conniption when the Washington, DC, Young Republicans endorsed former President Donald Trump for president. https://t.co/7Mdw5gXs7s
— @amuse (@amuse) April 18, 2024
Johnson’s Director of House Operations, Hannah Fraher, has also sparked controversy with her anti-Trump statements. Fraher requested her her dues to be returned to her from the DC Young Republicans when they endorsed Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign and blasted the group repeatedly.
Her remarks about the organization revealed a deep disdain for the former president that contrasts sharply with her powerful role.
The revelations about the people working closely with the House speaker is a clear problem and also serves as a tempting explanation for so many of Johnson’s seemingly well-intentioned moves since stepping into the role.
What is being shown are the powers at work behind the powers at work. There are serious trust issues that already exist with Republican voters who have been betrayed by lawmakers time and time again. But these lawmakers aren’t doing the legwork for their respective offices; the staffers are the ones who are reviewing the bills and serve as gatekeepers of information reaching — and coming from — members of Congress.
Johnson’s handling of Ukraine aid has caused deep divisions within the House and his staffers have prompted serious concerns from America-First conservatives. While the GOP can hardly welcome another vacancy in the speaker’s chair, it also cannot tolerate the kind of disastrous division Johnson is causing.
