House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., vowed to retaliate for the guilty verdict against former President Trump on Sunday, saying House Republicans would use “everything in our arsenal.”
Johnson made the comments during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” with host Shannon Bream. The speaker emphasized the oversight powers that the House has, and said they plan to leverage them against corrupt prosecutors. He clarified, however, that Republicans must remain within the “rule of law.”
“We are the rule of law party. Chaos is not a conservative value. We have to fight back, and we will with everything in our arsenal. But we will do that within the confines of the rule of law,” Johnson said.
“We believe in our institutions. We are conservatives, and we are trying to conserve the greatest country in the history of the world. And its institutions are an important part of that. Our system of justice is an important part of that,” he added.
Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a Manhattan courtroom last week, leading to outrage from conservatives. Bream highlighted claims from some conservatives that the proper response is to open prosecutions against Democratic politicians.
Johnson emphasized that Republicans should stay within the rule of law, however, and he pointed to efforts by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Jordan has summoned Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and the lead prosecutors in Trump’s case to testify before the committee on June 13.
Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11.
The former president has used his conviction to galvanize voters who argue his prosecution was purely political. He still has three additional indictments to defend himself against.
Trump’s campaign has raised tens of millions of dollars in the days since his Thursday conviction. His campaign estimates they will bring in some $150 million over the course of the week.
