New York Rep. Elise Stefanik‘s relationship with House Speaker Mike Johnson has seen better days.
Stefanik was forced to return to the chamber earlier this year after her nomination to be President Donald Trump’s United Nations ambassador collapsed—a career hiccup she blames on Johnson, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
The dynamic between the two has “completely disintegrated,” according to the paper.
Stefanik’s nomination was spiked largely because of the impact her absence would have on Republicans’ razor-thin majority. Senior aides to Stefanik argued that Johnson failed to have a direct discussion with her about the political realities of the GOP’s narrow House majority, the Times reported.
Instead, the aides said Johnson and his allies tried to delay her hearing and tank her nomination.
Johnson denies doing so.
Earlier this month, Stefanik was also displeased with Johnson for not returning her to a leadership position following her failed ambassador bid.
When Johnson told her that he was dealing with many angry colleagues, Stefanik shot back, “I’m the angriest one.”
Afterward, Johnson named Stefanik “chairwoman of House Republican Leadership.” But he hasn’t returned her to the House Intelligence Committee, despite publicly saying he would.
The two met privately Wednesday afternoon to resolve the situation. Afterward, according to Politico, Johnson downplayed the conflict, calling it a “totally friendly, collegial thing.” Yet when asked if a deal had been made, he said no.
The conflict between the two Trump-aligned lawmakers has recently spilled out into public view, with Stefanik calling into question Johnson’s honesty.
On Wednesday, she accused the speaker of not telling the truth when he said he was talking to her and Rep. Mike Lawler about running for governor in New York.
“This is not true,” she wrote on X. “I have had no conversations with the Speaker regarding the Governor’s race.”
Johnson called Stefanik right after, and corrected himself to reporters.
In returning to Capitol Hill, Stefanik didn’t get to take up residence in the $15 million Manhattan penthouse that the UN job would have offered. Yet she seems fine with how things turned out.
“In many ways, this has been more freeing in opening multiple paths for me to serve New Yorkers stronger than ever,” she told the Times.
“Resilience is one of my strengths,” she added. “We have bounced back pretty quick. The reality is almost everyone prominent in American politics has a twist and turn.”
Stefanik said she hasn’t yet decided whether to launch a gubernatorial bid.
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