‘That’s Absurd!’ Speaker Johnson Snipes at CNN’s Manu Raju Asking if He’s Killing Border Bill to Boost Trump

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) admitted he has consulted Donald Trump on the proposed bipartisan Senate border bill but took issue with a reporter’s suggestion that he’s looking to kill the bill to appease the former president.

CNN’s Manu Raju asked Johnson Tuesday, “Have you spoken to [Trump] about the Senate proposal and are you simply trying to kill this to help him out on the campaign?”

“No, Manu, that’s absurd! We have a responsibility here to do our duty. Our duty is to do right by the American people. To protect the people. The first and most important job of the federal government is to protect its citizens. We’re not doing that under President Biden…” Johnson then promoted Trump’s position on the border:

I have talked to former President Trump about this issue at length. And he understands that. He understands that we have a responsibility to do here. The president, of course, President Trump, wants to secure the country. President Trump is the one that talked about border security before anyone else did. He ran on, as you remember, building the wall. Why? Because he saw this catastrophe coming. He knew that if we did not get control of it we’d be in this situation. And that’s why President Trump took his executive actions. He used his executive authority to get that system under control.

Trump has called it a “very bad bill” and has touted his efforts to have it killed. At a campaign rally in Nevada over the weekend, Trump maintained:

As the leader of our party there is zero chance I will support this horrible open borders betrayal of America. It’s not going to happen. I notice a lot of the senators are trying to say — respectfully they are blaming it on me, I say that’s OK please blame it on me, please, because they were getting ready to pass a very bad bill.

While Johnson took umbrage with the idea of politics being a factor in his opposition to the bill, others in his party have come out and said it. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) said last week that passing a border bill would be a win for President Joe Biden right before the presidential elections: “A ‘border deal that actually reduced the flow of illegal immigration, that would be good for [President Biden] politically.’” Cramer said.

President Joe Biden released a statement calling out Republicans for using the border as a political tool to bolster Trump’s campaign.

“If you’re serious about the border crisis, pass a bipartisan bill and I will sign it,” he said.